


Then I met him...

by otaku_fujoshi



Category: Free!
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Angst, Bottom!Rin, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, M/M, Phobias, Sharing a Bed, Smut, The Author Regrets Nothing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Top Nanase Haruka, Unrequited Love, Wet Dream, read the tags, seme!haru, unrequited!makoharu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-27
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-01-13 23:07:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 112,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1243933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otaku_fujoshi/pseuds/otaku_fujoshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>STORY BEING RENOVATED. SAME PLOT WITH PLOT TWIST! READ THEN I MET HIM: RE</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The meeting of a predator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers! This is a HaruRin story, if ya don't like HaruRin don't read. If ya like MakoHaru more, don't read. If ya don''t like yaoi, don't fucking read please! But, I do like criticism of my work as long as it's constructive, so feel free to leave reviews!
> 
> Ah btw, I don't own Free! or the characters. I'm just making them have sex. That's all. (^^)

A soft sigh from pale lips sent bubbles racing to the surface of the cool liquid that encased his body. It flowed fluidly and quickly though his body felt warm and heavy while he watched the orbs with eyes that matched his vibrant blue surroundings. He still felt the dregs of sleepiness weigh down on his eyelids that lazily drift in a half-mast expression while the stagnant water blocked the path to his hearing. He stared at his plain white ceiling, seeing the light dance upon the distorted surface of his bath water and felt his airways start to burn and constrict—a sad sign that he had to leave his peaceful place. Though it wasn't the same as being in a pool, it satisfied him enough to give him the patience to wait until after school for swim practice. There he would see Rei, Nagisa and—

"Haru!" Ah there was his alarm clock again. The sound of his best friend's unclear words through the deafening silence of the water was usually the time he had to get out. Though he couldn't exactly hear what he said, Haruka knew enough that he always said the same thing each time. So when he emerged from the bath, the water rushing and pouring from his ears and hair while he shook it off, he wasn't surprised to hear the same words. "Of course you're still in here. Come on out, we're going to be late." He stayed silent and sighed in the slight disappointment he always felt when he had to leave. He stood, revealing his formfitting black and purple swimsuit that he nearly permanently had on.

Dully blinking, he silently left Makoto—also the fourth member of their swimming team—to his own devices while he went to go cook as he had not yet had his serving of Mackerel and toast. He dressed lazily in the uniform that covered his average frame and left his raven hair messy, leaving his house with his friend to go to school as he munched on his Mackerel sandwich and drifted in and out of concentration from conversing with Makoto. His eyes drifted to the seaside and his eyes gained the familiar twinkle they always did when near a particularly large body of water. He sighed, wanting to swim again.

When Makoto's voice tore into his concentration—or rather daze—he heard, "Ah, and did you hear? Gou-chan's brother is coming to our school. Gou-chan said we might be able to meet him! Wouldn't that be nice?" Makoto blabbered on and Haruka couldn't help but think, 'Gou has a brother? I've never heard about him.' He polished off his breakfast and felt the familiar swipe of Makoto's gentle fingers getting the crumbs from the corners of his lip, as if he couldn't do it himself. Though, he entertained Makoto and his mother hen ways until they got to school and sat in their respective seats. He also saw Nagisa and Rei having their usual encounter with each other. Nagisa with a smile while Rei blushed and was affronted. The class filled out and Haruka stared out the window… to the pool. It was warm out so they would be able to swim again. His eyes began to twinkle again and he was off in his own little world. Perhaps he would leave early today… he would be hopelessly not concentrated in this class anyway so what was the point in staying? The only thing he really looked forward to was swim practice.

As he gazed out the window, he heard something that made him start to come back to the world of the living… a voice… It was barely scraping at the edge of his consciousness but it bugged him in some way. He felt weirdly… curious. After all, it wasn't every day that Haruka was snapped from his daze and unable to go back. Expressionless, blue eyes turned to the front of the classroom where his eyes met a tall and muscular body that was clad in their uniform. His jacket was tied at his waist, his tie was slightly undone and his shirt untucked but it didn't look bad on the other. His eyes traveled from his large school shoes up his long legs and torso to see the other's scowling face. His sharp red eyes glared predatorily around the room though his brow didn't look too strained, as if this were a natural expression for him to have. Amakata-sensei—also known as the swimming club's sponsor—eagerly asked the intimidating teen who towered over her to introduce himself. He gave a sigh as if introducing himself was terrible trouble.

Then he spoke. "I'm Matsuoka Rin. I recently transferred from Australia. I have a girly name, but I'm a boy. Please take care of me." It was the same voice that broke him from his daze before. It was dull but deep and smooth… his mind itched a bit as he felt a stab of déjà vu in his mind. He barely frowned at the feeling especially when he caught a glimpse of that burgundy hair and fierce, red eyes… who did he remind him of? Almost immediately he heard a voice in the back of his mind say, 'It's Kou! Not Gou! Gou is a boyish name but I'm a girl!'

Ah… I see. So he's Gou's brother. Who would've thought that they would be in the same class… and judging by the name… "Okay Matsuoka-kun! You can go and sit next to Nanase-kun!" Amakata-sensei said, and he saw the other look around, irritation showing on his face that he couldn't find him. Haruka stared at him while he looked over him completely, his figure a bit tense since he obviously couldn't see Haruka raise his hand. Though that's what Haruka would usually do, he was a bit entertained by the other's expression. It had switched over so quickly from dull to irate that it was obvious that the other was a bit impatient. After a minute or two of staring and pretending he didn't hear Amakata-sensei calling for him to raise his hand, he finally raised his hand and red eyes glared at him, irritated. His eyebrow quirked a bit, having never seen that expression on someone's face when they saw him.

Matsuoka rushed to his seat and sat next to him, not exchanging a greeting of any kind throughout the entire class period. When lunch finally came, he left without a word and by the time Haruka came out of his daydream about swimming, the other had disappeared. Haruka mused that that possibly meant that the other didn't like him. Suddenly a huge body stepped in front of him, one he knew to be Makoto and the smaller bodies next to him were Rei and Nagisa, who asked him to lunch like usual. He silently nodded, having nothing better to do and the roof was the ideal place to view the pool so they went to meet up on the roof.

"Ne, ne, Haru-chan! Did you hear? Rin-chan is Gou-chan's sister! Although I wasn't paying much attention when she talked about it, I could immediately tell when he came in the classroom. They look just alike! But, wow! Australia?" Nagisa said in awe and Haruka was tempted to tell him not to add the suffix "chan" onto his name and make it even girlier than it already was but he knew the effort was fruitless seeing as the blonde would probably say something like, 'but Haru-chan is Haru-chan's name!' Meanwhile Makoto nodded and continued,

"Yeah I was a bit surprised about that too. Do you think he was serious?"

Rei jumped in and said, "I think he was serious. The way he looked kind of gave off the 'I'm not a kidder' type of effect." Rei shrugged and turned to the side to jump a bit. A shadow suddenly loomed over them and they turned to see Matsuoka standing over them with a bored look on his face.

"A-Ah… Matsuoka-san, w-we—" Makoto tried but he was interrupted by Matsuoka as he asked,

"You know my sister?" That low voice strangely sounded a bit… strained. It was almost unnoticeable but Haruka heard in and it made Haruka look up to the other more directly.

"Ah! Yes! She's our manager Rin-Rin!" Nagisa said excitedly, not able to read the mood. An imperceptible huff came from his lips and he turned away from them but not before he turned back to Nagisa and glared murderously at him, making the blonde pale a bit.

"Don't say my name so casually." He warned coolly and walked away. When he closed the door, Nagisa blew out a breath and pouted.

"S-Scary... are they really siblings? Gou-chan is so much less…" As he said that, they all remembered the training from hell and the times she got on her period but still had to come to practice… "N-No, they're definitely siblings…"

As they talked about Matsuoka, the raven male decided to tune things out and not listen. He turned to look at the pool as usual and blocked out the rest of the world. Yeah, most definitely he would be skipping the next few classes.

...

The raven hurriedly stripped, unbuttoning his shirt and undoing his pants to reveal his swimsuit before running to jump in. A certain green-haired teen stared at the graceful swimmer as he relaxed in what seemed to be his natural environment. A smile swept across Makoto's face and he chuckled. He knew Haru wouldn't be able to stay away from the pool for much longer. It was Haru after all. The teen practically couldn't live without water.

Makoto watched for a while as he twisted and turned through the water, looking as natural as a sea creature. He looked almost like he was dancing in the pool, his black hair swishing with the will of the liquid and that utterly calm look on his face. Though it was distorted from where he stood, he knew what kind of expression would be on his face. He knew the other was probably thinking, 'Finally. Water.' Laughing again, he left the pale boy to his devices, collecting his clothes and turning into the locker room. He wanted to hurry and swim with him already, watching him wasn't enough.

He hurriedly pulled his own swimsuit on his muscular body and showered before getting his and Haru's goggles and swim caps. This was a normal occurrence for him. He helped the other out with nearly everything he did. He worried about him and he smiled when he was finally smiling. Well, as much as Haru would smile. Though, his vivid blue eyes, twinkling as they studied the waves were enough for him and brought a grin to his own face. He couldn't help being enraptured with the other teen. He was utterly captivating.

As embarrassingly obvious as it was, Makoto was indeed in love with Haru. Though he knew he was safe to confess seeing as the other could really be dense. He remembered just a few weeks ago with perfect clarity… his words. He'd told him thank you for being there for him. And though he wanted to soak up all the pride and ecstasy just from hearing the other's appreciation, the other just as quickly had mentioned Nagisa and Rei. Although he couldn't get too disappointed. They were a team after all and Haru was as dense as ever. But to Makoto, that only made him a bit cuter. That innocence. Makoto would never dream of taking advantage of it.

He watched the aquatic teen surface finally and held his hand out as he always did, ready to pull the other out. He'd never relinquish his spot to anyone else. "Good job Haru! You were graceful as always!" He laughed at the other's blank expression while he took Makoto's hand and was pulled from the water. He watched the other shake his hair dry, Makoto felt himself staring at the other's effortless beauty as always. He always thought the other's beauty was mysterious. He was so slender, yet he was muscled in all the right places, he spent all of his time swimming, yet he was as pale as the moon… though he had no expression on his face, Makoto blushed if he admired too long. He was truly amazing.

"I don't need you to tell me I did a good job." Ah, and that coolness in the face of compliments was always adorable to Makoto as well. He only grinned in response and watched the other as his attention was suddenly taken somewhere other than the pool. Frowning a bit, as he thought something weird must be going on behind his back to get Haru's mind off of water, he turned around to see Matsuoka Rin leaning on the gate with a scowl. He didn't understand why the other seemed to always be scowling but didn't dwell on it further as it really wasn't his issue whether he was grumpy or not.

"Where's Gou?" his calm voice said in an uncaring manner. Haru ignored the other and he saw Matsuoka stiffen a little before rolling his eyes. He chuckled a little. Haru wasn't the most social guy ever, it always took others off guard when he just turned away from them, not wanting to make an effort to answer their question.

"Ah, Gou-chan just went to go do so—"

"Onii-chan! You're here! Ah! Makoto-kun, its Kou! Not Gou!" She said in an upset manner and Matsuoka blinked in a bored way.

"You're still on that, Gou?" He asked before shaking his head, "Whatever, I came like you asked me to. But, I've already met these guys before so do I still have too—"

"You've met them before? Mou, Onii-chan you weren't mean were you?" Matsuoka rolled his eyes but looked away from Gou for a long moment before saying.

"Absolutely… not…" Rei and Nagisa came out as they heard the terrible lie and they both laughed, Nagisa more loudly and boisterously than Rei. Meanwhile Gou, just sweat a bit in embarrassment for her Onii-chan. He always had been bad at lying to her. He'd normally ignore her before lying. More importantly, Gou saw her brother flinch and glare fiercely at the others who quieted down, but weren't as scared as when it first happened.

"Ah… Onii-chan, i-it's okay. I'm s-sure they knew you didn't mean a-any harm…" Gou defended her brother before he got angry and she had to deal with his sulking later. "Ah! But, I wanted to introduce you myself! Please…" She asked in a puppyish way that made Matsuoka flinch, his eye twitching.

"Ah, whatever. Go ahead." Nagisa laughed again at Matsuoka.

"Rin-chan, you sure are funny! Ha-ha! I thought you were so scary at first but, ha-ha, you totally crumbled under your sister!" Nagisa fell to the ground laughing as he made fun of Matsuoka more who did not look pleased.

Haruka had been glancing at the redhead the entire time. He turned his head the first time he asked where Gou was out of curiosity mostly. The other was a bit strange to him… he didn't get him. He understood everyone else and was almost never shocked by what they did. Makoto was a caring, family and friend loving type who has a tendency to care for the defenseless. Nagisa was childlike, stubborn, and blunt but also had a sadistic streak that he often showed when he messed with Rei. Rei was a serious type but also hadn't had many friends before due to his strange and analytical nature so when he was embraced by all of them he wanted to become a part of their team and treasured those bonds more than anything else. And Gou was a person who was nosy, easily flustered, and boyish though she didn't want to admit it and she obviously cared for her brother.

But Matsuoka… Matsuoka was strange and this was coming from him who nearly no one could understand. He wasn't as easy to understand because he kept being so inconsistent. It made Haruka not want to find out more about him but it did bother him a bit and for that he didn't answer his question. Though the other only confused him more with his reaction. He sighed while Gou introduced her brother for the second time. Though when he glanced up that time… Matsuoka wasn't staring at anyone, he wasn't glaring at anyone… and he didn't look bored. He stared at the pool with what Haruka could notice was interest. He didn't look like him when he admired water yet he didn't look casual with his stare either. He looked strange. However, before he could discern Matsuoka's look, he turned and left, telling Gou that he would pick her up later.


	2. I don't understand him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waaarning! I don't own Free! Just saying...

Chapter 2: I don't understand him...

A week had passed and ever since that day, Haruka had developed a sort of routine. He'd wake up, take a bath, Makoto would burst in to take him out before he drowned himself, he'd cook Mackerel for breakfast, go to school, daydream about swimming, eat lunch with Rei, Makoto, and Nagisa, watch as Nagisa attempted to get Matsuoka to eat lunch with them all, see him fail, go back to class and stare at the pool, go to swim practice and when they all were cleaning up, watch Matsuoka's strange look. It always happened like that. When Matsuoka got near the pool, he got that weird look again and he couldn't help but find it strange. The other didn't let up on being a jerk either and Haruka started to get bored with him, seeing as he'd finally figured him out. Matsuoka was the type that just didn't want to deal with anyone. He always ate alone, he yelled at anyone who got near him, he ignored those that talked of him, he only ever paid attention to Gou and that was because he was her brother. The only thing that was off about his examination was his look whenever he got to the pool.

Once he figured out that look, he wouldn't be curious anymore and could go back to ignoring him. So he stared at him but he could never figure out that unfathomable look. It was something he hadn't seen before when someone looked at water. And then the other always rushed off with Gou. It gave him a headache and instead of being simply casually curious, he was now beginning to dislike the other for bothering his mental thoughts. He couldn't even really swim without wondering why the hell Matsuoka would stare at water like that. He was sure the water didn't like him either for that stare that he now was taking for distaste. Whatever. He wouldn't stare or care anymore. He would only concentrate on the water and his friends.

Unknown to Haruka there was someone else who had always taken to staring at him. And he noticed those looks he gave to Matsuoka. Makoto raised an eyebrow the first time he caught the other staring at the redhead but he had said nothing to him as he watched those blue eyes narrow in an unfamiliar way that he hadn't seen before. Did Haru not like Matsuoka? But, Makoto knew that he always ignored people he didn't like to death, so why was he just staring at him with that analyzing look. Sometimes he didn't know if Haru knew he did this at other times than in the pool.

He would be sitting in class and would turn to do his daily quota of staring in his crush's direction from across the classroom only to see that he wasn't staring out the window like he usually did but instead he glanced at Matsuoka every once and a while as the other took notes. His blue eyes gaze with rapt interest and they flickered to and from Matsuoka throughout the day. Makoto could only endlessly wonder why the hell Matsuoka had Haru's attention since both of them weren't the most social people in the world. Or when Nagisa attempted to drag the other over, Haru would already be looking in his direction. To be honest it pissed him off. He was usually gentle and kind as was his nature but he always had been quite possessive of the things he liked and Haru was included in that. He didn't like his attention, which was never given to anything but a non-threatening, inanimate object, going toward another man.

Not only that irritating occurrence, but the way the redhead treated everyone was also annoying. When Nagisa tried to integrate him into the group he snarled vicious at him like a wild animal, when Gou tried to get him to join the conversation, he just ignored her and walked away, saying he'd pick her up later. He was an utter brute who disrespected people left and right. He didn't deserve to have Haru's clear blue eye flickering towards him and that was what irritated him the most. Why? Why was Haru paying attention to someone like him? What was making him stand out so much to Haru that he just had to focus on him and no one else? They just met for goodness sake! They haven't even had a proper conversation!

They once again arrived at practice and he watched Haru stare once again at the redhead who came for Gou before he dove into the water, swimming as gracefully as ever. However, Makoto sensed a certain tenseness in his face when he saw the other. Frustration was it? Whatever it was, the other seemed to be fed up with Matsuoka and sank to the bottom of the pool in his awkwardly cute way of hiding from the other. He looked toward the redhead as he began to retreat to wherever he hid before Gou limped in slightly, catching his eye. Though before he could get a word of usual concern out, Matsuoka's usually silent lips parted and he had a foreign face on his typically indifferent face that caught him slightly off guard.

Haruka emerged from the self-created waves and shook his hair dry from the chlorinated water. When his eyes opened, he caught the sight of Matsuoka's face that stared at Gou while she attempted to walk in the pool area and his lips twitched downward. That was an unfamiliar face he was making. In the entire week he'd been silently paying attention to him, he hadn't once seen that kind of face come from the crimson-eyed boy. It wasn't angry or bored like the two emotions that are ever on his face, but a common face he'd seen before. One of concern.

When it was on Matsuoka's face though, he found that it made him look strange. It made his tense face look unnatural almost and his eyes softened toward his sister, his body turning back towards the smaller redhead. "Gou, what's the matter? Are you hurt?" Haruka blinked at the other's softer voice when addressing his sister. So he really was worried about her? Haruka didn't understand. Matsuoka didn't really seem to be the worrying type… so what was this uncharacteristic behavior he was displaying carelessly? He narrowed gaze and watched their interaction with interested eyes.

"Ah, Onii-chan. It's nothing really. I just stretched a little too far during practice in gym." Matsuoka stared at her a bit longer and suddenly turned completely around, walked over to the poolside, and sat down on the ground, laying on his back and closing his eyes. Gou's eyes widened and she blushed a bit at her brother's obvious but inconspicuous concern. "Onii-chan! You don't have to-"

"I'm staying because I don't feel like wandering today. Since your precious Onii-chan comes to pick you up every day, I should at least get to sleep where I want." Matsuoka put his arms behind his head for a cushion, his breath slowing slightly and his hair dancing in the light wind that they had. He completely ignored Gou's protests just like the Matsuoka he was used to but this time he wasn't doing it out of spite but rather from worry. It was strange to Haruka and no matter how he looked at it, this just doesn't fit with his presented image.

"You did that yourself! You really don't have to..." Gou stared at her brother and he just left his eyes closed, his face relaxing while silence soaked the air. Gou frowned and huffed, "Mou, he actually fell asleep..." Shaking her head, she limped over to where she usually sat and yelled at everyone to get moving. But, Haruka stared at the larger redhead for a moment longer. He looked much less annoying when he was asleep... Haruka cursed himself and sank into the blue depths surrounding him. He was getting interested again and just after he swore his attention off to swimming.

Practice went normal with the exception of Matsuoka sleeping on the poolside, curled into a more comfortable position with that same peaceful look that disturbed Haruka to the point where he couldn't divert his attention from the sleeping male. Watching him sleep felt strangely... nostalgic. It felt familiar to him to the point where he wanted to toss water on him in a seldom, immature act just to wake him or make him act as he usually did. Matsuoka slept through practice, his calm breath making his relaxing swim practice strange and foreign, annoying him more. However, it was the last thing that happened before class was over was something he'd never forget. An event that proved wrong his uncolored by prejudice and often accurate assessment of the other.

As they were cleaning up from practice, Matsuoka finally roused from his seat, rubbing his eyes and yawning softly. Haruka forcefully tore his eyes away when the other, trying not to dwell on the irritating itch he felt in his brain. Instead Gou gathered them all in a group under the guise of conversing with them about their training regime.

"Alright guys, I have a favor to ask of you." Gou said in a serious manner. He looked at the other teens who looked at her with slight shock. "You know this 'pain' I have in my leg? I didn't have gym today so it's a lie. I'm going to trick Rin because this morning he woke me up by pouring water all over me and almost making me late because I had to dry off and do my hair." She pouted though Haruka truly couldn't comprehend why she would be troubled by waking up to water. It seemed like an ideal situation to him.

"So... what are we doing?" Makoto asked with a raised eyebrow, uncharacteristically interested in participating in someone's deceit, and Nagisa had nothing short of a sadistic smile on his face. Rei was the only one who appeared a bit dubious about the entire thing and his brow furrowed while he pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Are you sure Kou-san? Matsuoka-senpai looks already a bit distressed for your wellbeing." He pointed out and Gou looked back toward her brother and shrugged with a devilish smile.

"It never hurts to make my 'oh-so cool' brother worried about things. It keeps him in line." She said, reassuring everyone. They nodded and she commenced to tell them the plan. "Well, Onii-chan hasn't seen me in years and back before he left, I couldn't swim. So I'll pretend to drown, he'll save me, and I'll tell him it was a joke." She giggled happily while the others stared at her for her evil idea that simply sprung into her sweet head from nowhere. Sometimes, Gou could be quite manipulative. "You guys just need to keep quiet, alright?"

Everyone nodded and they broke away and went back to what they did normally when they cleaned up, the other Matsuoka staring from his position on the floor. Gou limped to the poolside and reached for a conveniently placed flotation device that they used to train with that drifted in the pool. She reached, extending her body over the edge, and Haruka took a glance at the redhead who he saw looking a bit more alert. His shoulders were a bit tense as of ready for attack and he called out, "Gou... stop that, that's dangerous..."

He tried to sound commanding but instead he sounded almost meek, getting nervous while his sister perilously teetered on the edge of the pool. She laughed off her brother's worry, happy her plan was going as scheduled. Waving her hand, she said, "It'll be fine Onii-chan, don't worry about—wah!" She leaned purposely a bit too far and Haruka watched the other's eyes widen in clear alarm, his body so tense it was like a wound wire. The color drained from the other's face when he heard the splash.

Suddenly the redhead was on his feet and racing toward the pool, the unathletic boy's frame looking natural but urgent as he ran frantically toward the pool. His voice called out Gou's name in desperation before he stopped near the edge of the pool. He looked upon his figure and was time nearly stopped for him. Silence through the other's panic struck his ears and his eyes widened, showing his shock when the other coiled his body up almost unconsciously and kicked off the concrete and dove into the water with a powerful launch. It was almost animalistic, the way he jumped with no hesitation.

Though he wasn't on a spring board, his kick-off was fantastic... his arch was nearly perfect and his arms were position almost perfectly before he cleanly splashed into the surface of the pool. Haruka's eyes couldn't stray from the redhead as he tore through the water like a predator attacking his prey and he could only think... so fast. It was riveting, his stroke. Haruka's heart throbbed in his chest at the large and powerful strokes that dragged him violently through the water. He swam faster than anyone he's ever seen before and though he was aggressive, he wasn't... clumsy with his strokes. It was passionate, desperate... Haruka found it beautiful. His breath caught in his throat and he could not bring himself to look away when he quickly got Gou from the water's depths, bringing her to the concrete and pulling himself out to stare at his sister in what Haruka could only describe as raw fear.

He hovered over her, his face a pale white, his body completely soaked, his eyes wide and his pupils dilated. His fear was genuine… Haruka had never seen anything as raw as that before.

Gou, not wanting to tease her brother for long, smiled and laughed. "Onii-chan, you should've seen your face! Ha-ha! You look like a wet cat!" She laughed, wiping her eyes clear of the liquid over her eyes. "It's all in good fun, new Onii-cha—" she was suddenly cut off when a new drop of moisture fell on her cheek. Her brow furrowed and she almost thought it to be the pool water sliding off his cheek onto hers... but it was warm. So warm it almost burned her skin. Her eyes opened slowly and she soon saw her brother's agonized, red eyes that overflowed with anxiety and fear. His lips quivered and his brow furrowed worriedly. Her eyes widened and she felt another tear drop on her forehead… it was then that she knew she made a mistake. She had thought he was over it by now… no. That still didn't justify her actions. Because now she'd done it. She'd ripped open those old wounds that were finally starting to heal. She'd chained him again and her heart ached when she realized her mistake.

When he heard it was a joke, he did not take it well. His once deadly concerned eyes didn't dry up, but worse. They hardened. They froze and faded from the passionate red that she'd seen before into a dead shade. And it was all… her… fault. They tears kept flowing but her brother ripped himself away from her, his shoulder trembling as she could almost physically see another wound placed on his heart. His fists that just before held her so gently, as if he were afraid to break her, curled tightly into fists and his mouth twisted into a grim scowl. "Onii-chan… I… I'm—"

"Shut up." He told her gruffly, surprising everyone around them. Out of everyone he's ever been with, Rin had never spoken to Gou like that. His body tensed more and more as anger twisted his features into a range of emotions that she'd never seen before. The most prominent one was fear and the second shame. She tried to reach out to him, wishing she'd never did that prank. Wishing that she'd just lied and finished the prank to the very end instead of laughing at him. "On… on second thought keep going… go on. Laugh. It was funny right? Hah, hah… go on and laugh!" He yelled violently, punching the ground so hard she heard cracks come from the abused hand and felt alarmed. She quickly reached to hold it but he flinched and scampered back as if afraid of her. She could see it in his eyes. He didn't trust her as much anymore.

Her own eyes watered and she reached out further, grabbing his shirt, "O…Onii-chan, I'm.. I'm so—" His arm tore away from her and he lashed out at the window, the durable glass nearly cracking under his powerful hit and she saw how his knuckles bled profusely from his first strike.

"Shut up!" He yelled, running a hand through his hair, gripping the bright strands as he continued to tremble. More and more he shook, on the verge of a breakdown. "Why?! Why did you do that?! What did I do?! Do you hate me or something?!" He yelled, scrambling to his feet as he turned his back to her.

"Rin…" She said quietly, begging, pleading for him not to be upset though she knew it was useless.

"Gou… don't talk to me… for a while. Please." He said in an unnervingly calm voice that even caught Haruka off guard, seeing his expression. Haruka only thought, 'Who is he? Matsuoka Rin isn't like this… was I… wrong?' His expression of pure and utter betrayal made something hit his heart with a pang. Ocean blue eyes blinked owlishly while the other stormed from the poolside, leaving his sister with them who began to cry. He joined everyone in their attempts to comfort Gou, who only cancelled practice for today. She said she needed to be alone and Haruka nodded, respecting her wishes. He was no good at comforting people anyway.


	3. He... pisses me off...

Free! Gomen but I'm going to make yaoi explosions happen with your anime. You don't mind do ya? No copyright intended! Love the author!

 

Chapter 3: He... Pisses me off...

Matsuoka came to school the next day more withdrawn than before and in essence fitting Haruka's image of himself more… but because he was there to see the cause of his attitude, he could no longer have the satisfaction of saying he understood the other. He was also no closer to being free of the curiosity that plagued him and he was left only staring at the other who sat silently in his seat, his face turned downward and his long bangs easily covering his eyes. Somehow, Haruka could tell they weren't the bright red they were before. Somehow… he could just picture their dull depths, staring into space. Matsuoka's words echoed in his mind, his rough and strained voice that screamed at Gou to mock him… why would such a prank make Matsuoka react that way? Why did pranking him make him think his sister hated him?

Haruka's head spun and he sighed, desiring to take a dip in the pool to ease his confusion. Everything always felt better when he was submerged inside of a cool body of water. He felt almost as if it comfortingly hugging his entire body, soothing his worries to the core. Though with them being in class there was little chance he would be freed from the bother that was Matsuoka Rin. He couldn't do anything that hour, though Ama-sensei continuously shouted out for him to pay attention and his classmates laughed at seeing how out of it Haruka was. He could only stare at Matsuoka from the corner of his eyes and spite him for blocking his thoughts once again. Though he wasn't water, his thoughts drew back to his nearly professional stroke that tore through the water. He was what his grandmother would call, "a genius". He was like him in that disturbing way and Haruka rolled his eyes to will himself to stop thinking. If all he was going to think of was Matsuoka, then he might as well not think at all.

That entire week, the only thing in his thoughts other than water was Matsuoka. The nuisance and his loud, violent behavior made Gou cry and she hadn't been as upbeat as she normally was. It threw the entire team off when she didn't ogle their muscles blatantly while scolding herself. Or if she didn't battle it out with Nagisa about her name. She looked purely regretful the entire week and most of the times left them to their own devices or sometimes even cried when she thought no one was looking. In essence, it pretty much brought the protectiveness out of the entire team who began to actively dislike the elder Matsuoka for making his sister feel this way. Though Haruka generally was only upset because of the way the other obviously was purposefully taking his mind off of his precious swimming.

Makoto was happy about this development. He hadn't been particularly worried at first about Matsuoka, he had just been irritated because he had managed to get his stoic crush to look at him. Though his irritation had been soothed with Haruka's obvious boredom and irritation with the other, it was quickly rekindled after the incident. He couldn't get the way Haru looked at Rin when he dove after his sister out of his mind. The way his blue eyes widened and unknowingly twinkled in excitement at seeing his skillful stroke. He could see the other's fascination at his desperate screaming and could see his curiosity at his tears. He just couldn't stop himself from once again feeling the overwhelming feeling of irritation.

However, because of the fact that no one actually liked Matsuoka, and everyone was beginning to even hate the redhead for messing up Gou over a little prank, he was feeling relieved. Haru wouldn't fall for someone like that. Someone that they all hated. It was a fact that Haru only stuck around his close friends and didn't interact with anyone else unless he absolutely had to. So if everyone else despised him there would be no need to worry about their relationship building because the others didn't accept him. Matsuoka wasn't a threat to his budding relationship with Haru at all.

With this in mind, Makoto began to plan an outing for him and Haru where he would go with everyone else but they would sneak away and have a moment alone. Maybe he could get Haru to open up a bit more to him then. A grin broke out on the brunette's face and he quickly took his place by Haru's side and opened his bento. Well, the first thing he had to do was get his water-centric crush to actually agree to go out with him and the others. It wasn't like he would permanently say no, Makoto just had to get his timing right. As of now, Makoto wasn't too sure it was the right time. Even with the blank look on his face, Makoto could see obvious irritation lingering beneath the surface while the other glanced past him toward the empty section of roof where Matsuoka was usually held. Even though this seemed suspicious, Makoto waved it away. Matsuoka as of now was not a threat.

Just as this was thought by the cheery brunette, an announcement was made for Haruka to report to the principal's office and he conversation in the group halted before everyone looked to Haruka in curiosity. Had the raven done something wrong? No, probably not. He never was one to be into causing unnecessary trouble. It required too much effort. So then what could the principal want with him? He sighed and reluctantly left his mackerel to get up, waving off the others' concern before leaving to go down to the office. He was sure the others were talking about him behind his back about what he did to land himself in the principal's office.

He arrived at the office and opened the door only to have a streak of red catch his eye. His eyes widened marginally and he turned to see Matsuoka lazily sitting in his seat, his arm slung around the back of his chair and his long legs casually crossed. Dull, red eyes turned to look up at him and he saw a flash of recognition in them before he huffed out a sigh and looked away. Haruka blinked his own blue eyes and suddenly felt quite curious about why he was called down to the office and the other was there. He sat down, not as casually as the other, but certainly not attentively either. The principal's, kind eyes set on them and he sighed when he looked at Haruka.

"Nanase-san, recently… your grades haven't been the best in certain classes." He took out a few tests as proof, showing the 66 he got on his Math test recently and the 13 he'd gotten on his English. He looked at the tests blankly as if to say, 'Yes, I'm aware of this. But, I don't really care either way'. "Well, because of your poor grades, it has been recommended that you get a tutor to improve them. It is your second year and we must get you ready for a good university so you can be a productive member of society. This is where Matsuoka-san comes in."

Matsuoka? Haruka turned to the other, who slumped down in his seat and didn't look at him. That figures, Matsuoka was probably embarrassed at the way he acted yesterday. But what did he have to do with his grades? "Matsuoka-san?"

"Yes, because Matsuoka-san currently holds the top scores in both of those classes we figured it would be best to enlist him to tutor you." Haruka looked at the other in slight surprise. Matsuoka had the top scores? So he was smart under those dirty glares and grunts of dissatisfaction? Although… somehow Haruka didn't want to have Matsuoka as his tutor. Haruka was already having troubles not being curious about him enough without adding the damage of hanging out with him too. He already said he wanted to go back to swimming. He opened his mouth to refuse the offer, besides the other would probably curse this idea to hell as that was the type of person Haruka thought him to be at least. He didn't seem to be the helpful type… he's more of a prickly type really… "He's already agreed so there's no need to worry about Matsuoka-san's consent. He's already agreed."

Haruka's mouth nearly dropped and he turned swiftly to the redhead who looked as if all of this were completely normal. Though he still didn't spare the raven a glance. A dark pressure seemed to rise in Haruka's chest. He recognized this to be irritation at once again getting his character wrong and being stuck with him. Was Matsuoka doing this on purpose? Was he deliberately plaguing his mind? He turned to stare at Matsuoka as they were dismissed and followed him out of the office. The slightly taller redhead turned to the raven and stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"So, we should start today since we have a quiz this Friday in Math. So I'm going to come over your house and we're going to shape you up. No objections if you don't have anything important to do and since I already have your address because of the principal there's no need to give it to me." Haruka's eyes widened in indignation. Who did this guy think he was?! How could he just one-sidedly schedule an appointment between them for something he didn't even want? He said nothing and Matsuoka apparently took that as a sign of acceptance while he turned and walked down the hallway, saying he'd meet him afterschool. Haruka felt his eye twitch and he sighed, walking away to the rooftop. He wouldn't tell the others about this. They already didn't like Matsuoka enough to be infuriated and try to help him in their own goofy way.

Later that day, after swim practice and after Makoto walked him home, Haruka sighed and walked up the stairs to get into the bath. He soaked for about an hour, slightly dreading when the other would come and tutor him. His three most unenjoyable things wrapped up in one evening. Great. He got out of the water and dried himself off. He just put on his clothes and wrapped a towel around his neck. He wore navy blue pants and a lighter blue shirt but since they were pajamas the cotton was easily susceptible to hugging onto his damp frame. He suddenly heard his doorbell ring and didn't answer it, thinking it was just Makoto or something deciding to be considerate before bursting into his house. Though when he went downstairs, he was surprised slightly to see the other's red hair staring at him as if mocking him for thinking it could be the other's mellow greenish-brown.

"Yo." The redhead said casually as if he wasn't the one who broke into his house. Haruka tightened his hold on his towel and narrowed his eyes in irritation.

"Don't just break into my house." He said in a cold voice that he hadn't used in a while.

"You left your door unlocked and I said I'd tutor you today. If you don't want people strolling in your house, put some locks on." He said coolly but with a hint of spite for being scolded by him. "Anyway let's get started on the Math homework." He took out hit copy of the homework but the equations only looked like scattered numbers and nonsensical symbols. How was anyone supposed to comprehend this? Putting the sheet down, Haruka sat across from Matsuoka and stared at him,

"You know I don't need a tutor right?" He said, trying to ward him off, "I don't care about studying. It'd be a waste of your time." He pressed then stayed silent for the other to mull over that. Matsuoka wasn't silent for long before he sat in a more casual way and took out a Math book.

"Whatever, even if you don't care the teachers won't stop bugging me until your grades improve. I've already said I'd do this so I can't back down now." He shrugged carelessly and came over to Haruka's table, leaning down before showing him the formula he planned on using and explained it to him and though Haruka was exasperated with the redhead's persistence, he couldn't deny that the formula actually made sense after he explained it. He didn't make more of an effort to kick the other out of his house but didn't put a lot of effort into figuring the problems out either.

Though soon Matsuoka got frustrated with him, crossing his arms and glaring at him when he got ridiculous answers, "Tch, what the hell Nanase?! How the fuck did you even get this shit?! I told you to use substitution!" He yelled, making Haruka's eye twitch irritably.

"Maybe you're just a bad teacher." He said in a deadpan voice that must have angered Matsuoka so much that he got a tick mark on his forehead, the vein throbbing dangerously.

"I'm not a bad teacher, just think about it a little more!" He growled back and they were suddenly at an impasse where Haruka didn't do anything for fear of Matsuoka shattering his windows with his yell and Matsuoka waited for him to continue doing his work. They stared at each other and Matsuoka roughly ran a hand through his hair. "Geez, you're so stubborn..."

"You're one to talk." He said, a bit incredulous at the one who spoke to him. If anyone was stubborn it was Matsuoka! Breaking into his house, making him study, yelling at him because he didn't get it… if he was supposed to be a tutor he shouldn't get so impatient.

"Ugh… you… you… hah," Matsuoka sighed and stared at him. Haruka thought that Matsuoka would finally want to go home due to his not understanding and would probably avoid him, "You piss me off. Honestly. Come over here." He commanded, gesturing for him to sit on Matsuoka's side. Haruka shook his head. He obviously didn't want to go anywhere near the other because of his behavior. Matsuoka gestured again, this time a bit more impatiently and he sighed,

"I don't want to come over there."

Matsuoka's fists clenched and suddenly Matsuoka was on his feet, Haruka was about to start cheering at the sight. He would finally be left in peace? Finally? However, the redhead surprised him and walked around to the table to sit next to him, staring at the book when he silently began to reteach him how to use the formula and even went through a few problems with him until there were no misunderstandings and he perfectly knew how to do the work. The numbers and symbols suddenly made sense and reluctantly began to work once again on the homework.

Matsuoka then… hadn't yelled at him. He hadn't said a spiteful word to him when he made mistakes and just continued to explain the formula, clearing up any holes. Though he did it with a reluctant face, he supposed that this was his way of being patient with him. Haruka decided to just finish the work while he could remember how to do it and later he would kick the other out since he was starting to teach him a bit better.

He sighed and continued to do the other side of the sheet alone since he had been almost done with it anyway and he noticed it was getting dark outside. However, he saw the other look over at the sun that was setting, the shadows that were creeping into the room yet he said nothing to him about it. Should the redhead want to be getting home? Did he not have anything else to do except annoy him with homework? His brow furrowed and he stared at his paper, wanting the other just to leave already. Suddenly he got a strange feeling burning in his forehead. The burn of eyes that trained on him. He was well versed in this kind of burn seeing as Makoto could always be caught staring at him but it seemed much more intense than with Makoto. He could feel the penetratingly intense glare bore into his forehead as if someone was physically touching him and his concentration was broken.

Lifting his head, he saw that he was indeed right about the crimson orbs staring at him. "Why are you staring at me?" He asked suspiciously and Matsuoka rolled his eyes, staring at him in a blunt way that seemed weirdly soft to him. His gaze was intense but not filled with negative emotions. In fact those red eyes seemed to glimmer a bit while they twitched back and forth in the tell-tale sign that he was scanning his emotionless face.

Ignoring the question, Ring sighed and said, "I'm hungry. Make me something to eat, Nanase."

Ah, there it was. The other's bossiness had come back and he rolled his eyes. Like he was going to be like some stupid housewife and make him dinner. He thought not. Though as he dwelled upon it… he was quite hungry. They had been at the homework for hours without break and he hadn't eaten anything since he got home. He should cook mackerel and maybe if he didn't offer any to Matsuoka then he would leave his house. Haruka thought about this plan to himself before nodding in approval and getting up and tying his blue apron around his waist.

However in the midst of frying the fish and making toast to go with it, Haruka couldn't help but think that Matsuoka hadn't had anything to eat for as long as he did… and he was letting him have a break. He could've just left him alone with his failing grades but instead he chose to stay… But it was just his own stubbornness. He's just spiting me because I told him to leave… but he still did help a lot… Haruka sighed at his dilemma and just decided to make the other a dish too. But only for today. He fried the extra fish and made toast for the other, putting it on a plate silently and heading back.

Matsuoka had his head on the table and was looking over his answers and seemed to be writing something down when he came back. He dropped the food in front of Matsuoka and the redhead seemed to be a bit surprised—as if he didn't think the other would actually make him food. Well, it was only because I was being a good host so he's not completely off the point, he thought. He silently began to eat his own meal, reveling as usual in the sweet and salty taste of the fish and the toast. Matsuoka said nothing and began to eat his food, trying to be casual but Haruka could see the rushed movements of Matsuoka's hands while he shoveled food into his mouth. He seemed to enjoy the meal though he didn't say thank you when he finished, only going back to his work.

Geez, he could have at least been gracious enough to thank me. What a brat. He thought, collecting their plates and sitting back down to finish his own work. Matsuoka was silent the entire time he worked and by the time he finished, it was already very dark outside. Ugh, he's still here too. Hopefully he doesn't try to inconvenience me in any other wa— His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Matsuoka on his low table, his head down and eyes closed as he slept peacefully beside him. Haruka's eye twitched at the sight.

He reached over to wake the other teen up, not having the patience to deal with any more of Matsuoka's shit but once again his conscience made him take a closer look. When he got closer to Matsuoka, he could see dark circles under the other's eyes, his paleness that he was certain wasn't natural, and the last thing that tipped him off… his face. It was serene. All the cantankerous expressions, all the malice, the darkness… it was completely erased from his defined features and Haruka almost thought then that the other had a face of purity. He was sure that sleep was beginning to get to him as well if he had thought that about the annoying redhead. So instead of waking him up, he sighed and got up, getting a blanket from his cabinet and draping it over his shoulders while he claimed his own bed. His last thoughts before he went to bed were not how long he would get to soak tomorrow but strangely rather, will Matsuoka get even more annoying or will things balance themselves out?

The next morning, he got up from his sleep, feeling more tired than usual due to studying so late. Stripping to his bathing suit, he brushed his teeth, looking at his bed head and sleepy blue eyes. He also wondered if Matsuoka had bed head by now… or rather table head. Shaking his head from those intrusive thoughts, he decided to take his usual bath, ignoring the fact that there was a short-tempered teen just in the other room. He did his usual soaking and washing, slipping beneath the cool surface and staring at his moving ceiling. He wondered, in the deep silence and solitude of water, whether the stupid teen had woken up yet. Not because he was concerned but more because he didn't want the other biting his head off for him being late though it was his own fault. It seemed like something the redhead would do. Well the new version of him which he was just getting to observe.

He saw a shadow pass over him and knew it was probably time for him to get out of the tub. But, part of him—instead of expecting Makoto like usual—thought that maybe Matsuoka had finally roused. What would he say upon seeing him? Haruka's head emerged from his self-made waves only to see kind, green eyes and short, brunette hair. Makoto? He had for sure thought it was Matsuoka… but why was he even looking for that idiot anyway? He was just annoying. Blue eyes stared at the other's kind smile and listened to what he had to say.

"Ah, Haru, you seemed to have left your books out after studying. You should probably clean them up before we're late. Ah! Or rather, I could do it and you can cook breakfast to save time." Haruka nearly frowned. No remarks about the redhead sleeping on his table? The raven stood from the tub, the water from his bath sliding easily down his muscles and lean frame, unconsciously attracting Makoto's gaze. He didn't notice that Makoto's gaze lingered a bit too long on his body, didn't notice his hands held a bit too much on his when he helped the other out. Instead he quickly walked downstairs, ignoring Makoto's confusion only to see his empty table. There was not a Matsuoka to be found.

So he left before I woke up huh? I was certain he was a late sleeper… Haruka looked down at his table and saw an unfamiliar sheet of paper on top of his homework. He knelt to see handwriting that wasn't his and a recreation of what seemed to be yesterday's notes but in a simpler format… so was this what Matsuoka was making yesterday? Haruka just barely ground his teeth in frustration. He didn't understand this guy. First he was being angry because he didn't understand and now he was making an extra effort just to make sure he did? And still why am I even concerned? This is a good thing. I won't have to deal with him this early anyway… that nuisance. He honestly…pisses me off. Haruka said nothing to the questioning Makoto and just went to start cooking his mackerel, his mind burning with questions about a certain idiotic redhead.


	4. Taking care of a pet is hard work

Ah…. Well shit my bad owners of Free! I know I don't own you—if I did Rin and Haru would've had anger sex by now—but in any case no copyright! Not on this chappy nor the past chappies, since I didn't mention so before, not in the future chappies! Nooooo COPYRIGHT AT ALLLLLLL!

 

Chapter 4: Taking care of a pet is hard work

Nanase Haruka was in his kitchen, cooking his usual dish of Mackerel in the typical place he cooked it, wearing the same blue apron he always wore with the same expression… however, though almost everything was the same in this scenario, at the same time everything was absolutely and totally different. Why is this asshole in my house even though we're done tutoring for today? And why is he just asleep on my floor, not even bothering to ask for the dinner that I'm automatically fixing for us both? Why am I fixing us dinner? Haruka had all of these questions spinning in his mind while he flipped the fried mackerel on his and Matsuoka's plates. Unravelling the apron he wore, he brought the dish to the redhead who was curled on the ground with a sleepy face.

Haruka looked away and kicked the taller male who jumped at the injury he sustained. Red eye snapped open and stared the other down with a murderous glare. "Tch, Nanase you little—"

"Food's done." He said while he started on his own mackerel while the other stared at him peculiarly before sighing and leaning on the table with a sour look.

"Mackerel again?" He asked Haruka who slightly bristled at the attack to his favorite dish. He's so ungrateful, he doesn't have to eat it if he doesn't like it! Why bother voicing his complaints to me when I'm the one who made it for him? Haruka glanced up to see Matsuoka devouring his food ravenously like always and mentally scoffed. If he really didn't like it that much then why does he eat it with such vigor and always clears his plate? What a strange guy… Although aren't I stranger for letting him stay over and take advantage of me like this?

There were no answers for his question while he slowly ate his dish and the other once again began to lie down and curl up in a familiar way. Ever since the other had begun to tutor him several things had happened. His grades had actually improved for one in both English and Math, though his attention still wasn't on the teacher he began to notice that Matsuoka actually took very precise notes during class, paying rapt attention to the teacher, he wasn't getting scolded as often, but on the consequence it was quite hard to accept the fact that he had this guy staying over for such extended periods of time. He mocked him, he irritated him, and he teased and yelled at him… they could never have a decent conversation without some argument being in between the words. And even more so, Haruka just couldn't get this familiar itch from his mind when the other came over.

He got it when the other stretched before lying down, when he curled up like was now on the ground or even berating him for something. He felt that he had a strange relationship with the redhead because of it. His sapphire eyes stared intently at the other on the ground but it was only when the other's nose wrinkled a little in his sleep that the word slipped emotionlessly from his lips. "…neko…" His eyes popped open and he looked harder at the other before nodding to himself, "You… really are like a grumpy neko…"

At this comment Matsuoka's eyes broke open and he glared dangerously at the dolphin-like teen. "Eh? What did you just say?"

Haruka blinked, owlishly as he didn't expect this kind of reaction, "You're like a neko. A 'kitty' as they say in English."

Matsuoka's eyes widen and he gave the other the darkest, dirtiest look he could before growling at him, his surprisingly sharp teeth now obvious, "I'm not a neko, take that back! Do you even know what you just said?!" He hissed and Haruka could almost see the neko ears push back while he yelled, his tail twitching in irritation. Haruka turned briefly to the side and finished the rest of his mackerel even though the other was waiting for his answer impatiently. Somehow, he was quite happy to cause Matsuoka the same kind of grief he caused him daily.

"Then why do you always stay over, sleep on my floor and eat all of my food like a freeloading cat?" He asked, looking over his shoulder to a fuming Matsuoka. His cheeks were bright pink and he was quivering in what seemed to be embarrassment and anger. He got to his feet and quickly walked over to him, "Oh? Did you want to be cuddled?"

Matsuoka's cheeks burned at the raven's mockery and his crimson eyes narrowed indignantly, "N-No you idiot! Of course I don't! I'm only over here because I don't want to go ho—" Matsuoka's face died down from its previous liveliness and he seemed to shrink a little before sighing and sitting on his carpet-laden floor. "I… I just don't want to look at Gou anymore right now… so I'm trying to kill time." Haruka stared at the redhead who looked downtrodden and sighed, what a hopeless neko. He put the dishes in the sink and walked over to sit next to Matsuoka who didn't move a muscle.

"Why don't you just make peace with Gou? She wasn't really trying to do any harm and she's pretty down about it now…" He suggested, for both his and Gou's benefit. The elder redhead would stop seeking refuge in his house.

"Make peace with her? But, why would she do something like that to me? I… that prank…"

Haruka stared at the other's troubled face and sighed, leaning back on his hands, "But, you love Gou right? You don't hate her?" Matsuoka stared at him in a bit of shock before nodding slowly, "Then don't be afraid to make up with her. If you're going to still care about her, then put this to the side." Haruka said, relaxing but still observing the dubious teen before him while he raised a sharp, red eyebrow at him.

"You know… those seldom times you open your mouth Nanase, you always have something shitty coming out." Haruka's fists clenched in the carpet at the other's ungratefulness. He was going to kick him out in his irritation but Matsuoka continued, "Although… I guess sometimes you do say something important every once in a while."

Haruka blinked as Matsuoka settled against his floor again, closing his eyes and settling into a light sleep despite what they just talked about. Haruka's blank eyes stared at him, imagining twitching ears and a wagging tail with irony before going to get the blanket he'd set out for the huge neko on his floor. How troublesome it is to take care of a pet. Such an annoying one too.

However, the next day afterschool… the stray didn't seem to be in his house. He didn't tutor him, he didn't burst through his door and settle on the spot he usually slept, he didn't even come and demand something to eat. No the redhead didn't come to his house at all that day. Haruka blinked and shrugged his shoulders though his was a peculiar occurrence. Wasn't this a good thing? It didn't really affect him but he would have more time to himself and wouldn't have to deal with the other's griping anymore. He wouldn't even have to use the extra mackerel he stored in the freezer. Though weirdly Haruka ended up frying a second portion regardless as he imagined what the other would say when he asked where his food was and why he didn't bother to make him any though it would be in the dead of night… no he definitely didn't want that.

As Haruka set the plate out and ate his own dinner, he seemed a bit angry. His chest felt abnormally hot and tight as he ate dinner alone and he thought it might have been because the other had so thoroughly pinned him under his thumb, his whims being carried out even after he didn't show up. He'd made the other food anyway. He sat at the dinner table, not in his bath like he usually would, he did his homework diligently as he'd already been taught this material by Matsuoka and even had his notes… just how long would he sit and wait for this guy? Haruka's eyebrow twitched and he got up, spending the last bits of his night soaking and unconsciously listening for the sounds of a redhead who didn't come once that night.

The next day Haruka felt a bit jumpy, questioning why Matsuoka didn't come over and justifying his slight concern with a the excuse of curiosity. But he dismissed it, he didn't care and he didn't want to spend any more time thinking about that brat. He sank into his usual tub of water when Makoto came in quicker than he usually did… or was he just daydreaming the entire time? Either way he had to get out. He reluctantly abandoned the soothing water to dry off and eat yesterday's leftovers of mackerel that the other never came to eat. The brunette noticed something was off about him but Haruka said nothing and quietly munched at his breakfast, the mackerel tasting a bit less delicious than usual.

"Haru what's wrong? You seem upset." Makoto pointed out, seeing the light frown dancing on the other's pale lips, the slight pucker in between his eyebrows. His expression was more serious than it usually was and Makoto wondered why the teen was like this. Just yesterday he seemed fine, a bit lively even… so what happened? Haru sighed and turned away from him.

"It's nothing." He said in that cryptic fashion of his that even confused Makoto who had been with him for ten years. They walked silently to school, Makoto not even in a chattering mood anymore. When they sat in their respective seats he could've sworn he saw Haru tense as his eyes flickered over but just as quickly as it came, it was gone. Makoto decided he was just looking to deeply into this. Maybe Haruka hadn't gotten to soak as long as he wanted…

Haruka was burning holes in a certain redhead's skull. Matsuoka seemed to be perfectly fine, not hurt, not sick… so then why did he just not come to his tutoring session? Why did he not even want to look at Haruka even as he so blatantly stared. Matsuoka just continued to diligently take notes and when the bell rung Haruka didn't even have a chance to talk to him because he ran out of the room like a bat flies from hell. Haruka gripped his chair a bit tighter and was tempted to go after to other teen but he just shook his head and headed upstairs with Makoto. It wasn't his problem, it wasn't his problem… it isn't really. He's not concerned, he's just pissed because he had to eat leftovers from yesterday. That he wasn't getting the service that was forced upon him.

The pool was the only thing that soothed his thoughts after school was over. Like a crutch, like a support and like always it kept him sane and stable while he freely moved within its depths. He was weightless here, there were no noises, no distractions and not one hint of red down in the water. He felt like he could relax again and embraced the coolness around him like he always did. He kept his mind off of Matsuoka the entire time and let his body relax into the loving water's embrace. When he got out though, his mind was like a boomerang and he instantly wondered whether he'd see the neko on the other side of his low table. He shook his head violently though the other's thought he was just shaking out his hair in that dreamy way he usually did.

One thing he did notice upon his exiting was that Gou looked better… really happy actually. She was beaming and was as lively as she usually was. Haruka's eyes widened when he looked at the other and figured that… maybe the other took his advice. Maybe they made up. Maybe that's why he didn't show up. But, then why did he not look at him today like he was guilty or did something wrong? And even more so, why did he not show up once more? He was again alone with his extra plate of mackerel and more frustrated than before. He thought he'd found the reason as to why Matsuoka didn't show up though he guessed it wasn't that simplistic as the redhead once again didn't come to tutor him, only leaving his notes on Haruka's desk before he could notice. What was his problem? He didn't want to admit it but when he found out that Gou and Rin had made up, his mood had turned up, thinking this was his explanation and now he was bitterly… disappointed?

Haruka huffed, irritated with himself. He didn't understand again and being on dry land wasn't helping him find any conclusions either. A bath wouldn't do it for tonight, he decided. He grabbed a towel, a jacket and some shoes to walk to his school. He'd done this a few times before—break into his school pool. The school didn't really have any type of security stopping him other than the fence and he could easily trapeze over that. He walked to the poolside that was practically glinting in the light of the moon, the warm air blowing over his face and moving his hair. It really was a beautiful sight… that is until he saw a surprised neko watching him from across the pool.

"Nana…se…" The redhead breathed in surprise and he turned away from him, looking at the water once more. Haruka stared at him blankly but meanwhile felt all of those negative feelings he's been suffering because of this idiot resurfacing and he felt like punching him. Clenching his fists, he walked over to the other who looked a bit startled again, "Wh-What? Aren't you going to swim and ignore me like usual?" He asked, irking him more. Just who has been ignoring who?

"Matsuoka, why haven't you been attending tutoring sessions? Was it one of your whims or something and then you got bored?" He asked with a cool but venomous tongue that made Matsuoka look away and curl slightly into himself. He at least had the decency to look a bit guilty, like a scolded child who just scowled at the cement.

"S'nothing like that." He said quietly, squirming just the slightest bit before sighing, "Gou and I… made up." He said in a peculiarly sad voice.

"Yeah. I heard." He said simply, sitting down beside the taller teen. "So?"

"I still feel a bit…" He trailed off and unconsciously reached up to grip at the fabric of his shirt that rested above his heart. His voice choked off and Haruka was wondering if he would cry. He didn't but his stiffness didn't get any better. "I just didn't want to show up, feeling like this even though I took your advice… so I was going to wait until I felt a little better." He finished in a low, tired voice. He sighed and looked at the pool, "I've been here instead."

Haruka looked at the other after hearing his reasons and turned his gaze to the pool as well, feeling a little silly for being so upset since the other was dealing with a personal problem. But even so… "You still should have called." He said, feeling a bit embarrassed by how needy he sounded.

"But, that would've been embarrassing." The redhead said with a wry smile. It occurred to Haruka that he's never actually seen the other with a smile before. Though he wasn't as straight-faced as he was so it was an oddity for him. "I don't even have your number. And I heard from Gou, you don't even answer—"

"I… waited. I even fixed you dinner those few days and had to eat the leftovers before they went bad." He said quietly, hearing the small gasp that left the other's lips and felt just the tiniest bit satisfied that he'd caught the other off guard.

"Ah… I see… you waited." Matsuoka brought his knees to his chest and turned to the other for a brief second and he almost thought he heard the words, "No one's waited for me before except Gou…"

He paused for a moment and sighed at how stupid this situation was. "Give me your phone." He said with an air of finality and the other stared at him for a minute before handing over a green phone that was the same type as his. That made it easier he supposed. He quickly put his number in after attempting to remember it himself since he really didn't use his phone. "Here. Contact me if you can't make it. I'll… I'll pick up. Promise."

Matsuoka looked at him for a second and Haruka almost thought he saw those hardened red orbs softening though he turned away before he could see properly and nodded, "Thanks, Nanase."


	5. A fish out of water

I do not own Free....

Chapter 5: A fish out of water

Haruka was noticeably more cheerful the next day. His eyes were brighter and his mood wasn’t as dark as it was yesterday. He wasn’t grinning or anything but it was enough to catch anyone who knew him off guard. He eased into the bath, thinking about the evening he’d had yesterday when he finally   figured out why Matsuoka hadn’t shown up. That had cleared the air of the misunderstanding but Haruka never anticipated that Matsuoka’s absence was because of him… Haruka looked at the bath around him in a daze. The redhead was surprisingly thoughtful.

               Then yesterday when he’d gotten back after sitting by the pool with him, Haruka found a message from an unknown number. It said ‘Yo’ and Haruka new exactly who it was from. Although the other tried to be casual about it, obviously he was more than a little eager. Haruka was a bit amused by the other teen’s attempt to get on his good side again. He peacefully went to sleep that night with thoughts of and vivid red hair.

               Today, he was more accepting than usual to get out of the tub and go to school when Makoto came. He dried off and even put on his clothes before going to cook breakfast instead of cooking in his swimsuit. He didn’t particularly rush anywhere but Makoto seemed to understand that he wasn’t as reluctant to go as usual. By the way Makoto looked at him he’d say the other would ask him about it sooner or later since it was just Makoto’s nature to be curious about his friends.

               As he predicted Makoto asked him, “Are you in a hurry or something Haru-chan?”

               Haruka didn’t bristle like he usually did at the girly additive on his name but he did scold the other for it while eating his mackerel breakfast. “Not in any particular hurry,” He said while they walked to school. He saw the redhead in class and he looked just as dazed as he was, staring at his phone with enraptured rosy eyes. Haruka stared at him from across the room, seeing as he hadn’t noticed him yes and took out his own phone which surprised Makoto.

               “Eh? Haru-chan (Haruka-senpai) has his phone?” Nagisa and Rei asked as they came in, also shocked to see the blue mobile device in his hand. Haruka ignored the speculation, mentally rolling his eyes at the shock. Geez, he wasn’t that unworldly why couldn’t it be normal for him to have a cell phone out too? He only began to text the slightly unfamiliar number which he had labeled ‘pet’ for the time being. It was a simple text but from the way the other stared at his phone, it made him curious to see his reaction. ‘Good Morning.’ He typed it quickly and then discreetly looked up to stare at the redhead from across the room.

               There was a pause before he saw the other jump from the vibration in his hand and look down at the message from Haruka in something akin to shock. Did he really expect the other not to message him back? That was the entire reason he’d even begun to carry his phone. He promised that whenever the other messaged him, he would answer. Haruka was a bit disappointed that the redhead expected so little of him but he did get a slight satisfaction when he saw how he eagerly read and reread the message as if he was afraid it was a fake.

               Ignoring the other’s calls, he walked over to his seat next to Matsuoka and sat while the other was still lost in the message, “Are you not going to text back? Rude aren’t you,” He stated, making the other jump once more and almost fumble with his phone.

               “H…how do you know that was even your message? Don’t be arrogant,” He said, closing his phone and setting it in his pocket.

               “You just told me you knew it was my message right then Matsuoka,” He said flatly while the redhead tsked and rolled his eyes, looking at the board when sensei came in. Haruka was a bit amused, all this from a simple text? Matsuoka was strange. He just stared out of the window, staring at the pool again but instead of his usual swimming daydreams he couldn’t help but think of how the other’s bright vividness would stick out in the dark ocean, drawing everyone’s attention forcefully as he had the tendency to do.

               Makoto was ecstatic, Haru was obviously in a good mood today and though he didn’t know the reason, he should take this chance and strike with all of his might! Makoto had spent a good portion of his day planning and scheming how this plan should go and he thought that he had it down pat. An infallible plan. He, Haruka and the others would go to the aquarium like most dates did, besides if he took Haruka to the aquarium then he most definitely would want to come. The blue-eyed boy could never stay away from water if he had the opportunity and Makoto would get to see that beautiful glimmering look in his eye for hours. Then afterwards, he would take Haru to his favorite seafood restaurant and he could order mackerel like he usually did. And of course at the aquarium, Haruka and he would be able to easily sneak off and pretend “they got lost”. An infallible plan indeed.

               Once it was lunch time, he sat down in his place next to Haru and began to eat lunch, occasionally playing up the mother hen/lover deal and wiping Haru’s face when there was mackerel on the edge of his lips or making sure he ate properly. He honestly loved doing that type of thing for Haru who was so cold but innocent as well. He smiled to himself and chowed down on his own rice while he prepared to ask Haru if he wanted to go out. Though strangely when he turned to Haru, he seemed to be texting someone. He thought the group was a bit too quiet today and now he knew why.

               Haru texting someone… impossible. Maybe it was his parents? “Haru-chan who are you talking to?” Nagisa said in a suggestive voice, those pink eyes of his narrowing playfully while he watched the raven.

               “No one in particular,” He said while he texted quickly with one hand and ate with the other.

               “Do we know this no one in particular Haru-chan?” Nagisa asked and Makoto began to get irritated by the other’s tone. Haru wouldn’t text anyone unnecessary so why was he making it out like he was?

               “It’s probably just his parents or something, right Haru?” He asked though the other didn’t spare him a single glance, “W-Well… I had something to ask everyone anyway,” He said and the others turned toward him while he nervously wiped his mouth, barely glancing at Haru.

               “What is it Makoto-senpai?” Rei asked in slight concern over the other’s behavior. Makoto only glanced around before sighing and resolving himself. With the factors in place, there was no way the other would refuse.

               “Everyone, we never go out and have bonding time anymore… as the captain it worries me. So I was thinking that maybe we should go out with everyone, including Kou-san,” he said, executing his excuse perfectly and finishing it with a considerate smile. “Will everyone come? I was thinking about having it during the weekend.”

               “Sure, Rei-chan and I will come! It sounds fun!” Nagisa said, speaking for him and Rei.

               “Oi! Who said I wanted to go too?”

               “Aww! But, Rei-chan! It’ll be fun! Didn’t you say you wanted to be part of the team anyway?” He asked innocently, throwing Rei’s words back at him from a few weeks ago when he discovered he actually wanted to swim with everyone. Rei blushed at him bringing it up but Makoto laughed at Nagisa’s manipulation. It seemed like those two were going along with them. He turned to Haru only to see him looking a bit reluctant, thinking that there was no water involved.

               “Ah, of course we’ll be going to the aquarium and that seafood place later on. How does that sound?” At the sight of Haru perking up, he knew that this trip was set. Smiling, he waited on his answer while Nagisa responded gleefully for him and Rei. Haru turned to him and he nearly felt his heart stop. There it was… that look of his that told him he’d made the other incredibly happy. He felt his heart throb at the smaller male and he looked to the others with a smile, not wanting to blush like he usually would. He loved it when Haru would look like that… it almost made him feel like it was him that made his eyes glow mysteriously like that. Haru nodded and turned back to his phone, texting again and weirdly the happy look dimmed a little when his phone buzzed back in his hand.

               Really… who was he talking to?

               Haruka was extremely happy when he heard that he’d get to go to a place filled with water, though he knew he wouldn’t get to swim, he loved seeing the clear beauty that was water. Of course he’d want to go. Consequentially, he’d also been texting Matsuoka at that time. He’d been texting him all though lunch in fact as Haruka began to want to see the other’s surprised expression again, seeing something other than cool anger on the other’s face was amusing to Haruka and it seemed to happen most when he was talking to the other. Of course, seeing the other try to cover up his emotions with anger was also amusing as well. Haruka wasn’t dumb and could clearly see when the other jumped to get the phone, he was happy.

               Though when the other asked him whether or not he wanted to go to the aquarium, he thought about the other last night and his solemn expression. Water always helped to cheer him up… so maybe Matsuoka would be happier if he saw the water too… He immediately texted the other if he wanted to go but it seemed like the other was busy. He said that he’d recently gotten a job somewhere and would be occupied on weekends. Though he knew he would still go to see water, he couldn’t help being the slightest bit disheartened. Would the other still be sad and not see him?

               It seemed like Matsuoka knew of his train of thought as his phone buzzed again in his palm, ‘Don’t sound so depressing. I feel better and we still have tutoring today. Your English grades suck.’ Haruka felt the strangest mixture of agitation and relief pour through him and closed his phone, punishing the other for making fun of his grades. It wasn’t his fault that he wasn’t smart. Like he planned on talking to anyone who knew English so soon.

               Before he knew it he felt a light pull on his dark tresses and yelped a little, turning to see Matsuoka smirking and walking away oh-so innocently. Haruka felt the back of his head, knowing the other hadn’t pulled hard and it was his way of getting revenge but he couldn’t help wondering how the other had managed to do it that gently… geez, he was letting the other get to him again. He let go of his hair and began eating again only to see the others looking at him in what seemed to be worry and slight anger.

               That’s right… despite the fact that he and Matsuoka had been “hanging out” recently, the others didn’t know. The others probably thought he was messing with Haruka. He looked down guiltily when Nagisa opened his mouth,

               “Haru-chan… is Matsuoka bullying you?” Haruka was a bit surprised at the other’s serious tone and the lack of –chan on Matsuoka’s name. Haruka’s head shot up and he tensed lightly, shaking his head. He wasn’t aware of a lot of things but he could tell that his friends didn’t really like Matsuoka too much. “Haru-chan you know you can tell us anything right? We won’t let him bully you,” Nagisa said, reaching out to Haruka.

               “No, I…” Haruka couldn’t think of the words to say. He didn’t mind the effort used in this but… he just didn’t know what to do in a situation like this, “He’s not bullying me… don’t get mad at him,” he said quietly, hearing the bell ring and sighing in relief that that awkward moment was over. He finished his bento and walked downstairs to his class, hoping the others would do as he said and not get involved. He didn’t want them to think badly of the redhead. They weren’t close at all and he’s never really done anything to him other than demand he make him food. He wasn’t a bad guy.

               “Haru-chan needs our help,” Nagisa said, gaining the agreement from the entire group, “He’s the prideful type. He’d never let us know if he were being bullied. We have to keep Matsuoka away from Haru-chan,” he said, getting Rei’s immediate approval while Makoto also nodded, though he was in this plan for a slightly different reason. He wouldn’t let Matsuoka bully Haru, but he was a bit more upset at how he just touched him so casually, as if they were friends or… or even more. Makoto’s hands fisted and he vowed to keep that idiot redhead away from his crush.

               Afterschool, Haruka noticed that Makoto stayed a little closer to him than he usually would, walking so near to him that they brushed shoulders or hands and he was also looking around like a bodyguard would to keep his charge safe. Haruka knew that Makoto would probably be looking for Matsuoka but he couldn’t say anything to him about it as when Makoto got to be protective, there was no talking him down. It irritated and slightly touched him to think of it like that but to be honest, Makoto and the others were protecting him from nothing. Though Matsuoka might be strange, he would never hurt a fly.

               He only sighed as the other took him up the stairs and to his house at the top. Although something strange happened that day, “Hey Haru, can I come in? We haven’t hung out after school in a while,” he said and Haruka stared at Makoto.

               “No, we just hung out during practice,” he said, raising an eyebrow and turning to go into his house. He saw the other’s downtrodden expression and sighed. Though everyone saw how Makoto spoiled and babied him, Makoto was a huge crybaby himself. He sighed and said, “Look, we’ll get to hang out in a few days at our bonding thing right?”

               Makoto visibly brightened and he nodded enthusiastically while Haruka turned and closed his door. He couldn’t have Makoto here anyway with Matsuoka coming over. If they saw each other, Makoto would be convinced that Matsuoka was bullying him and might do something. He just wanted to have a peaceful tutoring session… well as much of a peaceful one as he could.

               He took his second bath of the day and waited until he heard the sound of the door sliding rudely open with only a misplaced ‘excuse me’ heard from the rough redhead. Sighing, he drained his bath and dried himself off before slipping his clothes off and going down to meet the other. Somehow… something in his heart calmed at the sight of him. Perhaps he was nervous that the other actually wouldn’t show up despite his promise to and he sat across from him, taking his books out. However, the other seemed to be staring at him with a weirdly serious expression that wasn’t filled with boredom at all.

               He looked up at Matsuoka who suddenly decided he’d had enough of the silence and thrust three sheets of paper in his face with a slightly incredulous look in his eyes. “What in the actual fuck, Nanase? What the hell are you even writing? It’s no wonder you failed these tests!” He scolded Haruka, making the other look away in slight embarrassment and anger. If there was anything he hated, it was being scolded by Matsuoka. He didn’t care about anyone else really yelling at him but when Matsuoka just looked at his grades like he was surprised he could even achieve scores that low, it really pissed him off somehow. He didn’t want Matsuoka to think he was dumb because then he had something over him and the other could be extremely haughty if he wanted to. “You can’t just use the same verb tenses for each sentence or it won’t sound right! ‘I jump when I got scare by the dog’? It doesn’t make any sense!”

               “…Sounded right to me…” Haruka mumbled, a bit surprised at the other’s dark expression.

               “Oi… please don’t say that again, that’s horrible you think it makes sense…” Matsuoka said in a horrified voice that pissed Haruka off even more.

               “How would you know if it was right or wrong?” He asked childishly, trying to defend himself from the other’s _‘you’re more of an idiot than I thought you were’_ look. Matsuoka raised an eyebrow.

               “Baka, weren’t you listening when I introduced myself? I said I transferred from Australia. They speak English there so I’m fluent.” Haruka turned to him with a flat look that hid his true surprise.

               “Ah, so you weren’t lying that time?”

               “Why would I lie about something like that? That’s stupid,” Matsuoka said as he brought out a few old text books that were in English, “Here, we’re going to do some exercises in these and your homework afterwards. Really, you need to improve…”

               They began to study, Matsuoka going through what he knew and covering it solidly before teaching him structures and verb tenses. It was so tiring and even more boring than Math was but he had to admit, the fiery redhead was a pretty good teacher as he began to make sense of the mysterious language that was English. They stopped for a minute and took a break, sighing while Matsuoka made his usual demand for food and complained when he got mackerel only to devour it like any other time.

               Haruka stared at the other for a moment, wondering what actually brought the other here from Australia of all places. His Japanese was flawless but then again so was his English… and he didn’t really have the features of a normal Japanese teen with his bright red hair and red eyes. He was tall too… he wasn’t like Haruka who at least had the black hair part down despite his sapphire orbs. His annoying curiosity began to peak again and Haruka couldn’t help but ask, “What were you over in Australia for?”

               Matsuoka visibly stiffened and blinked while he looked down at the food he was eating silently for a moment. His lips parted and the only thing he could say was, “Swimming.”

               Haruka’s eyes widened slightly and he stared at the other who continued to eat as if it were nothing. “You swam in Australia? How were the pools?” He asked with an underlying eagerness that caught Matsuoka off guard. Red eyes peered at blue eyes and in a surprising gesture, Rin smirked.

               “They were huge and amazing… they were so blue and pretty,” He said in a soft voice as if remembering the pool and how it felt and looked. Haruka sighed at the visual image but then had a vision of the red-haired boy’s form cutting through the water as powerfully as he could. He then wondered if he had an amazing form like that then…

               “Why aren’t you swimming at our school?” Matsuoka looked up at him before sighing and looking away with dulled eyes to the table between them as if he were glad that there was something in between them.

               “I… well… I quit. Swimming… that is…” He said even quieter than before. He didn’t look like he was at peace with the decision but looked resigned to say so regardless. Although when Haruka heard that, something hit his heart with a pang. And it hurt… why did the other stop swimming when he was so natural in the water? Haruka couldn’t help but to think that the other was like him in a way. The way he came to swimming pools when he needed to think, the way he looked at the pool whenever he was near… Haruka was suddenly hit with the realization that the other didn’t actually hate water rather he longed for it. That was that look he had all those times he’d seen it. He… longed to swim again. “Oi, what’s that face for? I quit on my own, don’t look so pathetically sad,” The other grunted a bit angrily.

               Haruka hadn’t even been aware that his face was sad to begin with but he certainly didn’t feel too happy at the moment, “It’s because… swimming is a wonderful thing. It’s clear that you love swimming too and I just thought it was sad… to have to quit something like swimming. Don’t you like the way water feels when it’s around you? How free it feels?” He asked with a slightly disgruntled expression. It was the most he’s said in a while since he was slightly breathless, looking at the other with eyes that showed his pure love for water. Matsuoka stared at the other with wide red eyes before he took Haruka’s breath away with a simple gesture. A smile.

               Matsuoka’s lips began to turn up at the edges, pulling farther and farther apart until sharp, threatening teeth were revealed and he began to chuckle. His laugh rising in volume until he was laughing unrestrained, tears gathering at the edges of his eyes and a small blush arising on his sun-kissed cheeks. Strangely, even though his teeth were quite strange… Matsuoka didn’t look threatening. Even though he was laughing at him, Haruka couldn’t bring himself to be too angry. He just sighed and looked at the other in an exasperated way.

               Matsuoka caught the look and the laugher died down a bit but still bubbled up in occasional giggles that were making him feel very not upset. “I’m sorry, Nanase. I wasn’t really laughing at you… really. But, you’re just like how everyone said you were. You’re a water freak.” He laughed joyously and leaned back on his hands, looking at him, “Ah, but don’t worry about it. It’s almost admirable when I think of it. It’s no wonder you’re such a natural champion. I’ll agree, swimming is very freeing, especially when you do it with others. Racing with others… with a team is the best.” He said and leaned further back until he once again laid on his floor, the childish laughter still coming from his lips though he’d just said something that Haruka didn’t quite understand.

               The only thing that Haruka could think at that point was, _Rin’s laughter reminds me of water_.

               When Makoto woke a grin broke out on his face. A different one then his usual sweet simpers and kind smiles, no this one was a grin of pure anticipation, one that couldn’t wait to see his love. He tried not to take the other’s previous refusal of his company before too personally seeing as he would see him today. It was the weekend and they were going to the aquarium together! With friends but still, he’d get to spend the entire day with Haru! If that wasn’t a reason to smile, he didn’t know what was. He could almost imagine those sparkling eyes that looked cool and indifferent but shone like a child’s when near water. Haru would stare at the water for as long as he could and most importantly, he wouldn’t ignore everyone for that mystery person he’s been talking to as of late.

               Yes, everything looked bright and rosy in Makoto’s view but he decided to stave off his crippling anticipation by choosing what outfit he should wear. Was there anything Haru found attractive in particular? He thought about it for a minute before coming to the obvious conclusion of something blue. Haru’s favorite color is blue so he’d obviously be attracted if he wore something blue right? Right. Makoto ripped through his wardrobe and wondered what kind of fit Haru liked. Haru usually wore something that was a bit too big on him but it made him look sexy regardless. Makoto thought that he probably just had a natural sense of style but then he considered that Haru probably liked clothing like that because it was easy to get out of… Makoto tried not to blush when he thought of that meaning… something Haru could easily slip out of…

               “Ah! Concentrate!” He berated himself and went back to choosing clothes. He ended up wearing a blue cardigan, a white and blue, striped shirt, rolled up brown pants and blue gym shoes—all of them of course happened to be loose-fitting. He ran his hair through his unruly brown locks before taking a shower, brushing his teeth and slipping on his clothes. He ran downstairs to where the others were having breakfast and ate with the others, his rambunctious brother and sister running amuck while they ate. He calmed them down and soon ran outside, making sure he wasn’t too early but not late either. He needed there to be enough time so he could wait for the other to come out, or even go in and catch his daily glimpse of the other’s practically naked body.

               Shaking his head again, he walked off to Haru’s house, walking up the stairs and stopping to play with the neighbor’s cat who seemed to like him. He walked up the stairs and again after petting the white furball and knocked politely on Haru’s door, knowing he wouldn’t answer. After a moment, he let himself in with an, “excuse me.” The teen found the place silent and empty and wondered if Haru was actually there or not before he heard a mild splash just in the distance and smiled. Looks like he’d have his fanservice today anyway. He walks up the stairs and turned to go into Haru’s bathroom. He just barely restrained himself from licking his lips at the sight before him.

               Haru was dripping wet while he emerged from the tub, his pale muscles glinting with every move as the water cascaded down every ridge and line of his body. Lean abs flexed and tensed at every miniscule effort it took to get out the body of water while the muscles in his arms bunched with every involuntary move while he took deep gulps of air that made his supple chest heave and those beautiful nipples of his stood erect at facing the cold air of his bathroom. The other shook his hair clear of water as if he were an animal, though the image of the other dreamily flipping his black tresses made him gulp down the saliva that had built. The other was truly beautiful. He was gorgeous really and Makoto couldn’t take his eyes off of him when the other’s cool blue eyes, framed with a thick fringe of black lashes opened and looking into his lustful green ones. Geez, Haru always did this to him, it almost made him not feel guilty for having naughty thoughts since the other just asked for it with those defenseless eyes and lips…

               Ah, he had to snap out of it before he did something he would regret. Haru didn’t know anything of his feelings yet though he was so obvious. It would just alarm him if Makoto did something like this. Haru put the damp towel that he’d used to dry off his body around his neck and looked up to Makoto as if he were surprised he wasn’t speaking. Makoto smiled at him, a warm smile naturally coming in the face of his pure Haru. “Ne, Haru-chan, you were in the bath still?”

               “Drop the –chan Makoto.” He said in an impatient voice that made him chuckle. Always so cool Haru. Really, could we see a smile once in a while? Maybe a laugh. But Haru was cute just the way he was. He watched as the other surprisingly layered his clothes with dark brown jeans that were slightly rolled up, his belt dropped when he tied the pants to his slender hips, his dainty feet had pink sneakers, and a darker pink tank top and a baggy striped shirt that was blue and white hung perfectly on his small frame. It was times like these when he was truly glad that he seemed to be the only one to recognize Haru’s beauty. He’d have girls all over him if they saw him like this. But today it seemed like they were coordinated to match which Makoto found to be even better. Though he was surprised when the other turned to get something… that his pants weren’t that baggy. His ungodly ass was quite defined within those jeans and it took everything Makoto had in him to just not encircle him in his arms and show him what he truly and undeniably wanted.

               “A-Ah, yes. Let’s go. I told the others that we’d meet at the station.” He said, trying to get his mind out of the gutter it seemed to permanently be in when around the dolphin-like boy. They walked to the station, Makoto making sure he ran off at the mouth for a while before offering to carry the other’s bag which he had strapped around his shoulder though the raven boy immediately refused and he sighed but didn’t let it get him down. He knew it was just Haru trying not to be babied. He wondered if the other knew just how much he liked doing that stuff for him but he chose not to say anything about it and instead reached the stop they were looking for where Nagisa and Rei were. Nagisa waved eagerly at them and Makoto happily waved back and Haru just raised a hand in acknowledgement before reaching into his pocket and fishing his phone out. “Eh? Haru, this is bonding time. You can’t have your phone out today with us…” He whined while the other seemingly ignored him and stared at the message for a minute, typing a reply and putting it in his pocket.

               Was it him or did it seem like Haru… lightened up a bit when he saw the message? Makoto growled at that thought and ushered Haru and the others onto the train so they could get to the aquarium. Either way, because of the bonding time, Makoto had a proper excuse to complain about anything distracting Haru from him. They soon arrived at the aquarium and Haru blinked at it before hurrying inside without them. “Haru-chan! Wait!” Nagisa cried while he ran after him to the doors and Rei quickly followed while Makoto sighed, pulling the tickets out from his pocket and hurrying to the others.

               They paid the admission to get in and Haru eagerly walked around the underground part where they were seemingly surrounded by water. The swimmer’s eyes lit up in happiness and trembled in that way that Makoto loved to see… though when the other’s soft lips parted he said something no one on the team expected, “Matsuoka would’ve loved to see something like this… though I’m not sure he would admit it…” Haru looked as emotionless as ever but Makoto just couldn’t ignore the tiniest lift of the other’s lips while he spoke of the other in what seemed to be a daze.

               “Mats…Matsuoka?” Nagisa asked, turning to Haru, “Haru-chan, why are you talking about him at a time like this? Usually you’d be stripping and trying to dive with the sea animals.”

               Haru blinked out of his daze and turned to Nagisa, “Ah… Sorry I just… it was a thought.” He sighed and scratched the back of his head in a bored way and walked to another exhibit while he glanced at the water and that tiny lift of his lips would appear every once in a while or a slight frown Haru was being far more expressive than usual but… over what? He smiled before when he said Matsuoka’s name… just the thought of that darkened Makoto’s mood, making him look down at the floor while he attempted to suppress the boiling feelings that were surfacing. Why did that guy just keep coming up? He tried to quell his annoyance but the only thing that popped in his mind was that Haru’s smile was now tainted for him. He had no idea if he was smiling about water now or… or Matsuoka! And that’s what hurt him the most.

               Makoto sighed and walked after the raven, unconsciously competing with the raging thoughts in the other’s head. Haruka really hadn’t meant to let Rin’s name slip from his mouth like that but… when he saw the way the light hit the water, he was oddly reminded of the lightness of the other’s laugh… or his bright smile. Haruka could only imagine the way the other’s eyes would sparkle while being under this sight, though he would pretend not to even be interested in it while glancing continuously up at it. He wondered what the other would say and before he knew it, he caught himself calling out his pet’s name. Ah…Rin… Haruka shook his head and sighed before walking away.

               He told the other that he probably wouldn’t be able to text him all day since he was out with friends who were particularly sensitive about having his attention but the shark-toothed boy just rolled his eyes and waved him off. Even though the next day the other texted him to ‘have a nice time’. The other was quite amusing, he always ended up showing his true feelings in the end and it always made Haruka feel like… he wasn’t a bad guy at all. Sometimes Rin could even be sweet. Though Haruka had never been too fond of overly sweet things, he almost felt that Rin actually wanted to be friends. _He sure has a weird way of going about it though._

He even made Haruka’s outfit when he saw he was just about to wear a t-shirt and some jeans. He had do admit, the other had more taste than he thought he would but he wouldn’t tell the other that or he’d have him looking like some sort of idol every day. He wasn’t aware of the amount of attention he was getting from his outfit though, both from girls and boys. His mind was lost in the longing of water… and unconsciously making fun of that redheaded brat.

               Things went smoothly after his little slip up but somehow, he and Makoto ended up being separated from everyone. Right now they were in front of the shark exhibit and Haruka was closely examining the sharks with an unknown fascination. The shark would’ve been more fitting for Rin if he had red eyes as well… the only thing he could really see the teen as was a short-tempered neko with strange red hair. Geez, why did everything always had to lead back to Rin? He wasn’t making it be this way but it was probably because of what he told him yesterday. The way that his eyes were still sad though he smiled and laughed uncontrollably… He put his hand on the glass of the exhibit and Makoto looked alarmed for a minute before turning to him with a strange look.

               “You look sad Haru… what are you thinking about?” Haruka looked over to the other and shook his head slightly, “Haru, you’re definitely sad. Don’t be afraid to tell me…”

               The slightly crestfallen Haruka just shook his head again, “No, not me,” Is all that he said before he turned around to the sharks as one swam surprisingly close to them, baring his sharp teeth, his black eyes seeming like they were glaring… but he didn’t bump the glass or bother them. He just made a mean face and then left. Haruka felt highly amused at this. He was just like Rin, the other would never admit it but he really was. “Matsuoka probably would’ve made a mean face back.”

               “Again with Matsuoka… Haru, why do you keep bringing him up? Isn’t he bullying you?” Makoto asked with a strange edge on his tone of concern.

               “No, I said that it wasn’t happening… and I don’t know. When I’m surrounded by water… I can’t help thinking about him.” Haruka sighed and ruffled the back of his hair when he felt a text ring in his pocket and though he said he wouldn’t take it out… he also promised the other he’d answer. The text was simple, only asking about whether he had a good time or not and Haruka replied that he was and he saw some mean sharks that were just like him. Of course the other had been outraged and Haruka had just rolled his eyes and replied with a deadpan joke that made the other sigh in exasperation.

               “Who’s that you’re texting that’s so important Haru?” Makoto asked in a whiny voice and Haru turned to see him with a concerned look and he only looked down at the phone before shoving it in the other’s face while the other read his contact that he’d been texting. “Your… pet?!”

               Somehow Makoto seemed more alarmed than before and Haruka pocketed his phone once more while the aquarium drew to a close and they met Rei and Nagisa again. “Yeah. A neko.” He said plainly before walking with them to a restaurant. It happened to be his favorite restaurant that had an entire selection of mackerel dishes. He slightly rushed to get inside since he was actually hungry after watching all of that seafood. They quickly secured a table and Nagisa was chattering about all of the sea animals he saw in his typical happy go lucky voice while they ordered. He’d ordered the mackerel pizza as that seemed to be the best flavor to him. He suddenly heard a bit of laughter that sounded a bit familiar and whirled his head around to see nothing.

               “Haruka-senpai? What’s wrong?” Rei asked, looking at him with concern but Haru just shook his head. Rin said he had work, and even if he got off of work he probably was sick of seafood by now. He thought he caught sight of bright red hair but when he turned, he saw nothing again. By then he was afraid that Rin was tainting his brain. He saw him and even thought about him when he wasn’t there… what kind of sick shit did he pull?

               “Ah, you even eat mackerel on pizza?” He heard the smooth voice right behind him and saw his friends tense too. He finally felt safe in his assurance that when he turned around… Rin was most definitely there. But, he was not welcomed too warmly.

               “Oi, Matsuoka-san why are you here?” Rei asked in a dark voice while Haruka just stared at the other, taking in how strange he looked in regular clothes… but they seemed to fit him better than the uniform he was in usually. The grey top he wore was loose and airy while the black cardigan was also a bit big on him but his jeans down below seemed to encase his long legs perfectly with a different kind of fabric around his knees. A necklace with a ring on the end also was around his neck and he wore casual brown shoes. He looked good. But the strangest thing for him to see… was that red hair of his pinned in a ponytail at the base of his neck.

               “You’re wearing… a ponytail? How feminine,” He said, ignoring the other’s panic at him speaking to the taller male. Rin just looked down at him while his hand flew to his exposed neck in surprise.

               “It’s nothing, it got in my way that’s all,” He huffed, crossing his arms, “Anyway, I’m here… on business. I just came by to make fun of the water freak here,” He said while the others gained a dark look at my being made fun of. Didn’t they see how I could handle myself though? Why did they all make me out to be so incompetent? “I’ll be go—”

               “Matsuoka-senpai!” A small grey-haired boy came bounding up to Rin with a happy look in his eyes while holding a bouquet of flowers, “Your flower arrangement was amazing! The staff really loved it and they said it brightened the place up! You really have talent for that sort of thing!” He said excitedly while lifting his own bouquet to the other while everyone at the table turned to see Rin doing an impression of a cherry with his bright red and flustered face.

               “Oi! Ai! D-Don’t be so loud with it, you’ll disturb others,” He hissed, sounding weirdly like a responsible older brother while he took the flowers and inspected them with analytical but embarrassed eyes. “And your flowers are messy again…” He sighed and fixed them around in a professional way while this ‘Ai’ watched in awe while his flowers seemed to coordinate perfectly now and he left excitedly, leaving Rin there who turned to the others with a wince. All was perfectly silent at the table before Nagisa burst out laughing,

               “Oi! Rin-kun that’s great! That’s so cute! Even though you’re so huge you like flowers! Ahaha! I can’t take it!” Rin blushed violently and clenched his fists while he shouted for the other to shut up, “And you have that ponytail on! Haha, I really can’t take it! Rin-kun’s a flower boy!”

               “Tch, yeah so what if I do like flowers… their pretty,” He said, looking away before sighing, covering his face, and glaring at the floor. Somehow… something in Haruka’s stomach lurched at this sight… it was strange. The redhead looked… weird and if made his stomach turn but the feeling… was not altogether unpleasant… The redhead took another bouquet for Ai and walked out of the building, his neck and ears bright pink. Before Haruka could stop himself he was going after them. Haruka ignored his friend’s cries for him to wait and followed Rin out the store.

               His heart felt like it was thudding uncomfortably in his chest when the other turned around with the flowers in his hand and a disgruntled look. He blinked at him for a minute while Rin began to look more and more flustered, “Wh…What, Nanase?”

               “Give me your card,” He said plainly, taking Rin by surprise as he backed up a bit.

               “Eh?! N-No! Why? You couldn’t properly take care of flo—”

               “Just give me the card,” He said impatiently. “This was the job you were talking about right? I want your card in case I want flowers in my house.”

               Rin blinked while Haruka held his hand out expectantly, “Urgh… um… ah… fine.” He dug into his pocket and gave him a card before hurrying off, leaving Haruka in a daze. He studied the address while wondering if Rin made that expression often. Though it turned his stomach, it seemed to make him tingle as well. He almost liked seeing that flustered expression on the other’s face… He just couldn’t stop thinking about it.

               The rest of their dinner time, Haruka had been in an unbreakable daze, clenching at the card beneath his fingertips while he mindlessly ate mackerel pizza. The other thought… his eyes strangely shone that powerful blue when he saw water so they thought perhaps the raven was thinking of a pool of water. Green eyes narrowed in suspicion though. There were no huge bodies of water around here…


	6. The date gone sour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yello Guys! It's the author, so please listen! I do not own Free! nor the characters! I'm just making them have warm and fuzzy feelings for each other more than they do in the show! It is not a criiiimmeee if there is no copyright intended!

Chapter 6: The date gone sour

When Makoto woke a grin broke out on his face. A different one then his usual sweet simpers and kind smiles, no this one was a grin of pure anticipation, one that couldn't wait to see his love. He tried not to take the other's previous refusal of his company before too personally seeing as he would see him today. It was the weekend and they were going to the aquarium together! With friends but still, he'd get to spend the entire day with Haru! If that wasn't a reason to smile, he didn't know what was. He could almost imagine those sparkling eyes that looked cool and indifferent but shone like a child's when near water. Haru would stare at the water for as long as he could and most importantly, he wouldn't ignore everyone for that mystery person he's been talking to as of late.

Yes, everything looked bright and rosy in Makoto's view but he decided to stave off his crippling anticipation by choosing what outfit he should wear. Was there anything Haru found attractive in particular? He thought about it for a minute before coming to the obvious conclusion of something blue. Haru's favorite color is blue so he'd obviously be attracted if he wore something blue right? Right. Makoto ripped through his wardrobe and wondered what kind of fit Haru liked. Haru usually wore something that was a bit too big on him but it made him look sexy regardless. Makoto thought that he probably just had a natural sense of style but then he considered that Haru probably liked clothing like that because it was easy to get out of… Makoto tried not to blush when he thought of that meaning… something Haru could easily slip out of…

"Ah! Concentrate!" He berated himself and went back to choosing clothes. He ended up wearing a blue cardigan, a white and blue, striped shirt, rolled up brown pants and blue gym shoes—all of them of course happened to be loose-fitting. He ran his hair through his unruly brown locks before taking a shower, brushing his teeth and slipping on his clothes. He ran downstairs to where the others were having breakfast and ate with the others, his rambunctious brother and sister running amuck while they ate. He calmed them down and soon ran outside, making sure he wasn't too early but not late either. He needed there to be enough time so he could wait for the other to come out, or even go in and catch his daily glimpse of the other's practically naked body.

Shaking his head again, he walked off to Haru's house, walking up the stairs and stopping to play with the neighbor's cat who seemed to like him. He walked up the stairs and again after petting the white furball and knocked politely on Haru's door, knowing he wouldn't answer. After a moment, he let himself in with an, "excuse me." The teen found the place silent and empty and wondered if Haru was actually there or not before he heard a mild splash just in the distance and smiled. Looks like he'd have his fanservice today anyway. He walks up the stairs and turned to go into Haru's bathroom. He just barely restrained himself from licking his lips at the sight before him.

Haru was dripping wet while he emerged from the tub, his pale muscles glinting with every move as the water cascaded down every ridge and line of his body. Lean abs flexed and tensed at every miniscule effort it took to get out the body of water while the muscles in his arms bunched with every involuntary move while he took deep gulps of air that made his supple chest heave and those beautiful nipples of his stood erect at facing the cold air of his bathroom. The other shook his hair clear of water as if he were an animal, though the image of the other dreamily flipping his black tresses made him gulp down the saliva that had built. The other was truly beautiful. He was gorgeous really and Makoto couldn't take his eyes off of him when the other's cool blue eyes, framed with a thick fringe of black lashes opened and looking into his lustful green ones. Geez, Haru always did this to him, it almost made him not feel guilty for having naughty thoughts since the other just asked for it with those defenseless eyes and lips…

Ah, he had to snap out of it before he did something he would regret. Haru didn't know anything of his feelings yet though he was so obvious. It would just alarm him if Makoto did something like this. Haru put the damp towel that he'd used to dry off his body around his neck and looked up to Makoto as if he were surprised he wasn't speaking. Makoto smiled at him, a warm smile naturally coming in the face of his pure Haru. "Ne, Haru-chan, you were in the bath still?"

"Drop the –chan Makoto." He said in an impatient voice that made him chuckle. Always so cool Haru. Really, could we see a smile once in a while? Maybe a laugh. But Haru was cute just the way he was. He watched as the other surprisingly layered his clothes with dark brown jeans that were slightly rolled up, his belt dropped when he tied the pants to his slender hips, his dainty feet had pink sneakers, and a darker pink tank top and a baggy striped shirt that was blue and white hung perfectly on his small frame. It was times like these when he was truly glad that he seemed to be the only one to recognize Haru's beauty. He'd have girls all over him if they saw him like this. But today it seemed like they were coordinated to match which Makoto found to be even better. Though he was surprised when the other turned to get something… that his pants weren't that baggy. His ungodly ass was quite defined within those jeans and it took everything Makoto had in him to just not encircle him in his arms and show him what he truly and undeniably wanted.

"A-Ah, yes. Let's go. I told the others that we'd meet at the station." He said, trying to get his mind out of the gutter it seemed to permanently be in when around the dolphin-like boy. They walked to the station, Makoto making sure he ran off at the mouth for a while before offering to carry the other's bag which he had strapped around his shoulder though the raven boy immediately refused and he sighed but didn't let it get him down. He knew it was just Haru trying not to be babied. He wondered if the other knew just how much he liked doing that stuff for him but he chose not to say anything about it and instead reached the stop they were looking for where Nagisa and Rei were. Nagisa waved eagerly at them and Makoto happily waved back and Haru just raised a hand in acknowledgement before reaching into his pocket and fishing his phone out. "Eh? Haru, this is bonding time. You can't have your phone out today with us…" He whined while the other seemingly ignored him and stared at the message for a minute, typing a reply and putting it in his pocket.

Was it him or did it seem like Haru… lightened up a bit when he saw the message? Makoto growled at that thought and ushered Haru and the others onto the train so they could get to the aquarium. Either way, because of the bonding time, Makoto had a proper excuse to complain about anything distracting Haru from him. They soon arrived at the aquarium and Haru blinked at it before hurrying inside without them. "Haru-chan! Wait!" Nagisa cried while he ran after him to the doors and Rei quickly followed while Makoto sighed, pulling the tickets out from his pocket and hurrying to the others.

They paid the admission to get in and Haru eagerly walked around the underground part where they were seemingly surrounded by water. The swimmer's eyes lit up in happiness and trembled in that way that Makoto loved to see… though when the other's soft lips parted he said something no one on the team expected, "Matsuoka would've loved to see something like this… though I'm not sure he would admit it…" Haru looked as emotionless as ever but Makoto just couldn't ignore the tiniest lift of the other's lips while he spoke of the other in what seemed to be a daze.

"Mats…Matsuoka?" Nagisa asked, turning to Haru, "Haru-chan, why are you talking about him at a time like this? Usually you'd be stripping and trying to dive with the sea animals."

Haru blinked out of his daze and turned to Nagisa, "Ah… Sorry I just… it was a thought." He sighed and scratched the back of his head in a bored way and walked to another exhibit while he glanced at the water and that tiny lift of his lips would appear every once in a while or a slight frown Haru was being far more expressive than usual but… over what? He smiled before when he said Matsuoka's name… just the thought of that darkened Makoto's mood, making him look down at the floor while he attempted to suppress the boiling feelings that were surfacing. Why did that guy just keep coming up? He tried to quell his annoyance but the only thing that popped in his mind was that Haru's smile was now tainted for him. He had no idea if he was smiling about water now or… or Matsuoka! And that's what hurt him the most.

Makoto sighed and walked after the raven, unconsciously competing with the raging thoughts in the other's head. Haruka really hadn't meant to let Rin's name slip from his mouth like that but… when he saw the way the light hit the water, he was oddly reminded of the lightness of the other's laugh… or his bright smile. Haruka could only imagine the way the other's eyes would sparkle while being under this sight, though he would pretend not to even be interested in it while glancing continuously up at it. He wondered what the other would say and before he knew it, he caught himself calling out his pet's name. Ah…Rin… Haruka shook his head and sighed before walking away.

He told the other that he probably wouldn't be able to text him all day since he was out with friends who were particularly sensitive about having his attention but the shark-toothed boy just rolled his eyes and waved him off. Even though the next day the other texted him to 'have a nice time'. The other was quite amusing, he always ended up showing his true feelings in the end and it always made Haruka feel like… he wasn't a bad guy at all. Sometimes Rin could even be sweet. Though Haruka had never been too fond of overly sweet things, he almost felt that Rin actually wanted to be friends. He sure has a weird way of going about it though.

He even made Haruka's outfit when he saw he was just about to wear a t-shirt and some jeans. He had do admit, the other had more taste than he thought he would but he wouldn't tell the other that or he'd have him looking like some sort of idol every day. He wasn't aware of the amount of attention he was getting from his outfit though, both from girls and boys. His mind was lost in the longing of water… and unconsciously making fun of that redheaded brat.

Things went smoothly after his little slip up but somehow, he and Makoto ended up being separated from everyone. Right now they were in front of the shark exhibit and Haruka was closely examining the sharks with an unknown fascination. The shark would've been more fitting for Rin if he had red eyes as well… the only thing he could really see the teen as was a short-tempered neko with strange red hair. Geez, why did everything always had to lead back to Rin? He wasn't making it be this way but it was probably because of what he told him yesterday. The way that his eyes were still sad though he smiled and laughed uncontrollably… He put his hand on the glass of the exhibit and Makoto looked alarmed for a minute before turning to him with a strange look.

"You look sad Haru… what are you thinking about?" Haruka looked over to the other and shook his head slightly, "Haru, you're definitely sad. Don't be afraid to tell me…"

The slightly crestfallen Haruka just shook his head again, "No, not me," Is all that he said before he turned around to the sharks as one swam surprisingly close to them, baring his sharp teeth, his black eyes seeming like they were glaring… but he didn't bump the glass or bother them. He just made a mean face and then left. Haruka felt highly amused at this. He was just like Rin, the other would never admit it but he really was. "Matsuoka probably would've made a mean face back."

"Again with Matsuoka… Haru, why do you keep bringing him up? Isn't he bullying you?" Makoto asked with a strange edge on his tone of concern.

"No, I said that it wasn't happening… and I don't know. When I'm surrounded by water… I can't help thinking about him." Haruka sighed and ruffled the back of his hair when he felt a text ring in his pocket and though he said he wouldn't take it out… he also promised the other he'd answer. The text was simple, only asking about whether he had a good time or not and Haruka replied that he was and he saw some mean sharks that were just like him. Of course the other had been outraged and Haruka had just rolled his eyes and replied with a deadpan joke that made the other sigh in exasperation.

"Who's that you're texting that's so important Haru?" Makoto asked in a whiny voice and Haru turned to see him with a concerned look and he only looked down at the phone before shoving it in the other's face while the other read his contact that he'd been texting. "Your… pet?!"

Somehow Makoto seemed more alarmed than before and Haruka pocketed his phone once more while the aquarium drew to a close and they met Rei and Nagisa again. "Yeah. A neko." He said plainly before walking with them to a restaurant. It happened to be his favorite restaurant that had an entire selection of mackerel dishes. He slightly rushed to get inside since he was actually hungry after watching all of that seafood. They quickly secured a table and Nagisa was chattering about all of the sea animals he saw in his typical happy go lucky voice while they ordered. He'd ordered the mackerel pizza as that seemed to be the best flavor to him. He suddenly heard a bit of laughter that sounded a bit familiar and whirled his head around to see nothing.

"Haruka-senpai? What's wrong?" Rei asked, looking at him with concern but Haru just shook his head. Rin said he had work, and even if he got off of work he probably was sick of seafood by now. He thought he caught sight of bright red hair but when he turned, he saw nothing again. By then he was afraid that Rin was tainting his brain. He saw him and even thought about him when he wasn't there… what kind of sick shit did he pull?

"Ah, you even eat mackerel on pizza?" He heard the smooth voice right behind him and saw his friends tense too. He finally felt safe in his assurance that when he turned around… Rin was most definitely there. But, he was not welcomed too warmly.

"Oi, Matsuoka-san why are you here?" Rei asked in a dark voice while Haruka just stared at the other, taking in how strange he looked in regular clothes… but they seemed to fit him better than the uniform he was in usually. The grey top he wore was loose and airy while the black cardigan was also a bit big on him but his jeans down below seemed to encase his long legs perfectly with a different kind of fabric around his knees. A necklace with a ring on the end also was around his neck and he wore casual brown shoes. He looked good. But the strangest thing for him to see… was that red hair of his pinned in a ponytail at the base of his neck.

"You're wearing… a ponytail? How feminine," He said, ignoring the other's panic at him speaking to the taller male. Rin just looked down at him while his hand flew to his exposed neck in surprise.

"It's nothing, it got in my way that's all," He huffed, crossing his arms, "Anyway, I'm here… on business. I just came by to make fun of the water freak here," He said while the others gained a dark look at my being made fun of. Didn't they see how I could handle myself though? Why did they all make me out to be so incompetent? "I'll be go—"

"Matsuoka-senpai!" A small grey-haired boy came bounding up to Rin with a happy look in his eyes while holding a bouquet of flowers, "Your flower arrangement was amazing! The staff really loved it and they said it brightened the place up! You really have talent for that sort of thing!" He said excitedly while lifting his own bouquet to the other while everyone at the table turned to see Rin doing an impression of a cherry with his bright red and flustered face.

"Oi! Ai! D-Don't be so loud with it, you'll disturb others," He hissed, sounding weirdly like a responsible older brother while he took the flowers and inspected them with analytical but embarrassed eyes. "And your flowers are messy again…" He sighed and fixed them around in a professional way while this 'Ai' watched in awe while his flowers seemed to coordinate perfectly now and he left excitedly, leaving Rin there who turned to the others with a wince. All was perfectly silent at the table before Nagisa burst out laughing,

"Oi! Rin-kun that's great! That's so cute! Even though you're so huge you like flowers! Ahaha! I can't take it!" Rin blushed violently and clenched his fists while he shouted for the other to shut up, "And you have that ponytail on! Haha, I really can't take it! Rin-kun's a flower boy!"

"Tch, yeah so what if I do like flowers… their pretty," He said, looking away before sighing, covering his face, and glaring at the floor. Somehow… something in Haruka's stomach lurched at this sight… it was strange. The redhead looked… weird and if made his stomach turn but the feeling… was not altogether unpleasant… The redhead took another bouquet for Ai and walked out of the building, his neck and ears bright pink. Before Haruka could stop himself he was going after them. Haruka ignored his friend's cries for him to wait and followed Rin out the store.

His heart felt like it was thudding uncomfortably in his chest when the other turned around with the flowers in his hand and a disgruntled look. He blinked at him for a minute while Rin began to look more and more flustered, "Wh…What, Nanase?"

"Give me your card," He said plainly, taking Rin by surprise as he backed up a bit.

"Eh?! N-No! Why? You couldn't properly take care of flo—"

"Just give me the card," He said impatiently. "This was the job you were talking about right? I want your card in case I want flowers in my house."

Rin blinked while Haruka held his hand out expectantly, "Urgh… um… ah… fine." He dug into his pocket and gave him a card before hurrying off, leaving Haruka in a daze. He studied the address while wondering if Rin made that expression often. Though it turned his stomach, it seemed to make him tingle as well. He almost liked seeing that flustered expression on the other's face… He just couldn't stop thinking about it.

The rest of their dinner time, Haruka had been in an unbreakable daze, clenching at the card beneath his fingertips while he mindlessly ate mackerel pizza. The other thought… his eyes strangely shone that powerful blue when he saw water so they thought perhaps the raven was thinking of a pool of water. Green eyes narrowed in suspicion though. There were no huge bodies of water around here…


	7. The visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nuuuuu copyright whatsoever in this story! I do not own Free! I just own the feels that were created between these two dropdead sexy males who will bone by the end of this tale! HaruRin forevaaa!

Chapter 7: The Visit

Sapphire orbs stared intently at a small object, hovering above with a contemplating look, an internal struggle warring in his mind while he burned holes through the harmless white card with his intense gaze. The thin card rested in his hand, the bold, black letters glaring at him temptingly against the stark white background that was decorated with a beautiful cherry blossom pattern. His smooth thumb slid over the shallow ridges the letters created a bit reverently and he was almost amazed at how tempted he was. Sorely tempted. It was a nice Sunday morning, the sun pierced through his glass window and fanned along the floor which created a sleepy glow. Usually on Sundays his limbs were heavy and wanted to feel the soothing flow of water on them while he reclined in a cool bath, anticipating the touch of a real pool's water on Monday.

Today, however, he was distracted and surprisingly still submerged in the criminally dry air of his room. And the most ironic part was because it was all a stupid card's fault. His pensive gaze penetrated through the material while he remembered his mild sprint and command for Rin to give him his card. He remembered that he had no reason to chase after him before and remembered his utter confusion while his legs pumped mindlessly beneath him. Why? Why am I running? What am I running towards? Really, what was he running for at first? But it was only when he bound out of the seafood restaurant and caught Rin's attention that he found a reason to want to run. When he turned with that indignant look, as if expecting to once again be made fun of, with the honestly beautiful bouquet of flowers in a surprisingly gentle hold to his chest… Haruka felt raw curiosity punch him in his common sense. It was just the way that Rin looked outright attached to the flowers in his hands that got him.

He'd wanted more. This strange beauty. Rin didn't look as awestruck and longing as he did when near a swimming pool, but he did find the flowers beautiful and was rather comfortable around them. Haruka really just found it strange that this harmless but nevertheless rough around the edges guy had this utterly gentle streak with him. It was almost like he was a completely different person, though the same grumpy neko still bared his teeth, Haruka wanted to explore this side of him more. What would Rin say… if he visited? This happened a week ago yet Haruka was still debating in his mind whether or not to go this weekend.

On Friday, he reasoned that he'd see him after school regardless and had no real purpose in going so he stayed home even while theoretical images of Rin at work plagued him. He spent much longer in the bath that day to try and drown his stupid theories in silence. On Saturday, though that would've been the optimum time to go see him, he wondered if it would seem strange. After all he only asked the other for his card so he could 'buy flowers if he wanted' not to go to the address and visit. The other was right however, there was no way he could do something as taking care of flowers. It was too time and energy consuming and he didn't like to waste energy on anything except swimming. But he really felt that day as if he was restraining himself from going to the other's job. Makoto had saved him from deliberating all day by coming over with his favorite game and Ren and Ran. He agreed and went with the other a little too agreeably and Saturday passed without much of a glitch. Though today was Sunday… and he knew he probably wouldn't be able to keep himself from going if he wanted to.

Ever since he'd seen Rin like that… his fingers itched. They ached and he felt a mild pressure in his chest that he'd stubbornly tried to rub away before with ineffective fingers. Instead the feeling built higher and higher in his chest until he felt like he would explode and yesterday when he attempted to do his homework… he realized exactly what that feeling was. He wanted to draw. Badly. So much even that when he attempted to do his homework, instead of getting numbers on his lined sheet of paper, he got a strange yet familiar profile on his paper that carried flowers with an embarrassed look. Rin. He wanted to draw Rin and this feeling wouldn't leave him until he drew him.

With that in mind he left his bed with a purpose and turned his bath on, letting the warm water fill the porcelain bowl while he left to go an choose an outfit, thinking the most about which swimsuit he should wear. Even though he generally didn't care about that sort of thing, Haruka didn't want to be ragged on by the oh-so fashionable Rin while he laughed at his plainness. Haruka wanted to prove that he was independent and didn't want yet another person to try to take care of him, much less the neko that invades his house. Haruka could stand their relationship how it was but he wouldn't be able to take another mothering Makoto who acted like his parent at every turn. This is why he tended to prefer water. He didn't want to be admired. He wanted an equal that would let him be free and support him in silence.

Though he himself knew that with his disposition to daydream, he probably wouldn't find someone like that anytime soon. No matter how mature people said he was, people still treated him like he couldn't even eat by himself.

Shaking his head of the frustration, he eventually picked a loose, long-sleeved, blue shirt that had a wide collar and the top buttons were outlined in white. His pants were black and were just the right size for him along with his usual blue sneakers. It was going to be a nice day out so he didn't grab a sweater and took an unusually quick bath for the day that only lasted an hour before he grabbed his sketch book, a pencil, the card and left his house. His grip on the card became a bit tighter while he perused the streets until he found the right address to what seemed to be a small but well-decorated flower shop. The signs to it matched the card, titling the store, "Delicate Choices".

Haruka looked at the beautiful cursive of the store before taking a quick peek inside the bright place only to see the curtains were down. Were they closed today? Haruka approached the glass, staring for only a few minutes before the cloth shifted and parted, revealing a distracted Rin with his hair in his irregularly used ponytail. He was dressed a bit lazily today but still looked like he put some thought into how to dress as lazy as possible yet still look good. He was only in a loose, black shirt and fitted jeans but Haruka was slightly fed up by how the other always told him to dress better and yet on Sunday he dressed like this and still looked like he put thought into it.

Haruka's stare trained on the redhead until the crimson orbs looked down from their task of pulling back the light blue curtains and he jumped back from the shock of seeing him. Haruka felt a small jolt of satisfaction flow through him at unsettling the other. Rin glared at him through the glass, obviously pissed that he'd startled him so early on this lazy Sunday, and he whipped around to the store's door, coming out to him.

"Nanase, what the hell? Why are you here?" He growled only to have the dolphin teen gaze at him with clear, unresponsive eyes. Haruka chose to ignore his greeting today as he didn't feel like going through the effort of telling him the shit he went through just to come to the conclusion he wanted to come here. Instead, he passed the other by and went into the store, amazed at the scenery before him.

Flowers were everywhere—as per usual of a flower shop—but they were no ordinary flowers. They seemed to be blooming at their fullest when he walked in, bright yellows, cool blues, excited greens assaulting his eyes. The colors all melded together into one and created a rainbow of coordination that somehow made his heart accelerate. And when the slightly taller teen slid in front of his gaze, he felt amused by how fitting it was that the vibrant redhead worked there. His brightness stood out among the flowers as well even in his black shirt. The redhead lost to no one. Not even flowers.

"Oi! Don't just casually walk into the store! Answer me, why are you here?" He blinked calmly at the angry and flustered teen who obviously didn't expect him to come here.

"I came to visit." He said bluntly before spotting a small table with a carnation in a small vase in the middle. He silently sat there while the other remained completely silent. He took out a decent sized sketch book and flipped to a clean page before the silence finally got to him. Why was the other so quiet? He was never quiet unless he was asleep and he didn't strike Haruka as one to sleep on the job. His blue eyes sought him out and finally caught him standing in the same spot he had been in, staring at him with a strange face that was a cross between crumbling anger and extreme embarrassment. It made Haruka raise an eyebrow at his cherry red face, the expression one he would like to commit to memory. Unconsciously his hand began drawing the flustered model, beginning on the eyes and face first and glad he had as the other soon realized he had a job and turned away from him.

"W…Well… don't get in the way…" The redhead mumbled, fleeing from Haruka's sight. The raven sighed and looked at the ghost of where the other teen once was. That idiot never failed to surprise him at least once every day. Just when he thought the other was something, he turned and did a complete 180. Or maybe… the other was both? That's also a plausible result, though Haruka had to say he was interested in both Rin's cranky counterpart and the other who seemed to be weirdly shy. He looked at the other while he tied his apron around his neck and waist, his back sleekly flexing beneath the dark fabric of his shirt.

Haruka can't get the other's strangeness out of his mind. He was so wishy-washy. Did he even like Haruka? But then again if he didn't, Rin would no doubt antagonize him for pestering him so much… and what about him? Haruka thought idly while he finished the sketch of Rin's extremely flustered face and began another where the flush had faded into a soft pink and his eyes turned soft and concentrated toward the bouquet in his hands, quickly cutting ribbon tying it around the flowers. Though he felt like he couldn't look for too long. With his appearance as an artist… Haruka actually looked at Rin. He studied the soft contours of his face, the clean slope of his nose, the muscles that bunched through the loose shirt and fell on his frame nicely… even the unhidden nape of his neck seemed so strangely… beautiful.

Haruka fancied that Rin was also a flower in this way. He was always there, his bright colors warding off predators naturally with their frightening beauty… but when you actually stopped to look and appreciate, the natural blend of wildness and color was awe-striking. His blue eyes studied the other intently while he worked and he noticed Rin glancing over to him as well, which was a bit different considering that he was used to being the watcher. Rin seemed to be getting tenser and tenser with each second his pencil scratched over the smooth surface of his sketch paper. He offhandedly wondered if the other had suspected him of drawing him—not like Haruka would let that come to light, the other would never let him hear the end of him fulfilling his artist's needs. That was exactly what this was after all, satisfying a craving. The other had struck him with his unusual beauty and Haruka just had to get it out before things could go back to normal. Before he could stop seeing him with a beautifying light as most artists tend to have.

"Nanase… um… were you bored or something?" Rin asked in a strangely hesitant voice as if afraid to break the rearing silence with his sharp voice.

"No." He said without elaborating his answer. He hadn't been bored at home at all but as if he were going to explain the inexplicable temptation he constantly had when in the face of the cherry blossom-pattered card.

Rin tsked at his simple answer, "Then why did you come to visit me?"

Haruka slowly blinked before raising an eyebrow at the other. Yes, he came here to see the other but that was very out of character for someone like him. Haruka didn't want the knowledge of him wanting to see him to get to Rin's head either so it was quite the dilemma before he just plainly resolved to act like he usually did even though he was trying his hardest not to actually let the other become the focal point in his visit. "I liked the flowers you had… I wanted to draw them." He halfway lied. He liked Rin holding the flowers the best but there was no need to spread that around. Though the redhead looked at him with a strange expression before turning away in feigned anger. Did Haruka embarrass him in some way?

"You can draw…? You wanted to draw the flowers…" Haruka only had to imagine the ending part of the sentence and suddenly his embarrassment made sense. You wanted to draw the flowers… that I made? Rin sounded slightly elated and slightly embarrassed and when he looked at how the other's hands hovered over the finished flowers for only a moment, not knowing what to do—Haruka felt a sensation bubble in his chest.

He felt like he wanted to bully the other for some reason. If only to see that face, that weakness once more. So that was it… the small, curious undertone the other had been carrying. He had the scent of weakness. Not physical but emotionally. Haruka wasn't sure if he was a sadist but the only thing he could think when he realized that this strong and short-tempered teen had such a trait… was that he was kind of cute. Perhaps he was thinking of it in a way where when a kitten is still warm and fluffy though they still had claws.

"Ah, for once I agree with Nagisa… you really are a flower boy… on top of being a neko too." He said in a bored tone, watching with interest as the other bristled at him.

"I am not a neko! N-Nor am I a flower boy, flowers are just… p-pretty. And I get money this way so…" He said in a voice that got shakier farther along the sentence. Haruka mentally sighed, if he really wanted anyone to believe that horrible lie, he could at least have the decency not to hold the flowers closer and hiss. He was full of contradictions, "Whatever, at least I'm not a water maniac who dreams of water and can only think about water of all things. Even if you don't think about water, you think about water related things like mackerel!"

Haruka's eye twitched at the insult, "What's wrong with liking water? Water is a majestic thing that you couldn't hope to understand, kitty-chan."

"What was that? Kitty-chan? Water freak." He growled, turning his attention to him and staring him down with those predator's eyes that told him to back down but he didn't feel like losing to Rin today. Instead he made an out of character decision and fought back.

"Girly boy."

"Mackerel baka."

"Cherry."

"What was that?! That doesn't even make sense!"

"Does too. When you blush like you do now, you look like a cherry."

"Sh…Shut up, Nanase!" He yelled in a flustered voice before stalking off to the back, signaling that Haruka had won this little battle. Haruka leaned back in his seat, a victorious look on his face while he went back to sketching. Bullying the other was more fun than he thought. Especially if he was going to look like that while he did it.

The next week when they were in school, Haruka was paying attention. His blue eyes were intent instead of lazed and glazed over and a small furrow formed in his concentration… though he wasn't paying attention the lectures of course. His eyes instead wandered to no one but to the redhead sitting next to him who actually was working hard. Haruka's mentality recently had been cursing him. The hisses in his head causing him to sigh with mild regret yet his eyes never strayed from the crimson-eyed teen. Why? Because he'd managed to sink himself deeper into the Rin-shaped quicksand that he'd been slowly descending into over a period of time. It was no fault of Rin's even though he was the cause. No, Haruka had done this completely to himself.

He couldn't stop looking at Rin. Even though there was a full body of water very close to him, his head was turned away and staring at the curious teen beside him. He was quite sick of it really. He didn't want to spend all of his time thinking of Rin in a ponytail or Rin getting flustered but it seemed like he just couldn't turn it off. His artist's switch that is. When his eyes settled on the other, he thought that the other seemed to be incredibly bright despite his quietness in class. He wasn't talking about looks even… it was just the way that Rin could sometimes be so weirdly cute at times.

He still got surprised and pleased when he texted him and fumbled with his phone nervously in private that made Haruka nearly laugh when he spied him. The amusing way he tried to best him when he teased him and always lost it when he called him a neko was strangely a necessity now and Haruka couldn't go a day now without bullying the redhead a bit. He hadn't been too aware of his sadistic tendencies before but he tended to like it when Rin was flustered and yelled at him or sometimes even attacked him by punching him lightly or pulling him off balance—did that make him a masochist? The other was still unbelievably annoying as he still came over and freeloaded off of his space and food but he'd become strangely accustomed to it and he still sometimes wondered how the other managed to worm his way into his household and make a permanent fixture for his relaxation on the floor. He even left out a pillow and blanket for him now, accepting the task of taking care of the neko-like teen.

There was also an incident when he just stared at the other's sleeping face when he finished his dinner and walked up to him while he cuddled unconsciously with his pillow—not like the other would ever admit he did something so vulnerable. He'd given into the weird temptation he had to pet the other—seeing as the other was his pet, he thought he should be allowed to. He made tentative contact with the other's silken locks but in the midst of his amazement at his soft hair, the other had woken and stiffened horribly under his touch and even resorted to biting him angrily. It hurt but not terribly and when the other had come to full consciousness and realized exactly what he'd done, the bright redness on his face and the guilty and stuttered sorry that left the other made up for the action but at the same time brought out nothing but questions for his touchiness. He thought the other's reaction had been quite adorable at that time and reasoned that it must be because of their relationship slowly but surely getting closer.

He must've like Rin like a younger brother who he always had to take care of. Though he had no siblings, perhaps the instinct lied dormant in him for these reasons. Rin was becoming a firmer fixture in his life and though Haruka thought him annoying… he admitted he didn't hate Rin like he had before.

Though that didn't change his surprise when the other suddenly showed up at the pool when they had practice. Haruka thought that the other would try to avoid this place in the presence of all the others due to his uncomfortable memories of the prank gone wrong. Yet there he was, leaning on the gate with his usual cantankerous countenance as he and Haruka met eyes. Haruka let his widened eyes relax and turned toward him while Rin walked in casually and sat on the concrete near the pool. His legs automatically guided him to stand in front of him before he realized that he was at swim practice. If there was any part of his life that he wanted to keep to himself, he wanted to keep his relationship with water. He couldn't let the other come in and bring all of his attention to himself so he would have to satisfy his curiosity then and there.

"Matsuoka, why are you here?" He asked and Rin looked up at him for a moment before looking away without saying anything. Though he was sure he could see the faint dusting of a blush on the other's cheek. The redhead fidgeted lightly and scanned the ground with scrutinizing eyes as if it held the answers to life's problems.

"I… I came to visit…" He said gruffly, throwing familiar words back at him and catching Haruka's attention before he quickly added, "Gou. I'm here to visit Gou." Haruka felt the usual feeling of annoyance and amusement at the other so blatantly lying to him. He really was a bad liar. Even if his excuses are plausible, he absolutely sucked at pulling them off. So he only nodded, taking it as he truly meant it. He wanted to visit him like he'd visited him at work.

"Ah… I see." He said before quickly stripping his clothes but instead of leaving them for Makoto, he threw them at Rin for him to hold, "Fold those for me." He commanded, wanting to make the other realize that was how he sounded when he commanded him to make food. He was almost certain the other was pissed at being treated like a housewife but that wasn't his problem at the moment.

He only heard the other's start when he slipped his swimcap and goggles on in record time before getting in a prep position for his dive. "Oi Nanase, do—!" The sound of Rin's annoyed voice was cut off when he jumped off the board, propelling his body forward but his eyes strayed to the side he saw it wasn't the splash of the water that quieted the other's voice. The last thing he saw before he cut through the water's surface was wide, rosy eyes that stared at him. He's seen this expression before on other's faces when he swam but when Rin looked so utterly awed, to the point where even his pink lips parted because of his swimming… he felt a bit squeamish. Was that the feeling?

He embraced the water's hold and glided through the cool liquid, the other's face cutting through his relaxation. He felt jumpy and his stomach clenched at the memory of the other's face… of that blinding light that encompassed his eyes… He couldn't stay down there for long as he usually would have but he tried to. He didn't want Rin to interrupt his swimming too. Everyone else stayed a certain distance away from him where they didn't touch a part of his life. They were content with their stance of being important to him, so why did Rin greedily soak up all of his attention in one glance? He was making him angry again.

The raven resurfaced and swam to the edge of the pool where Makoto was waiting with his hand outstretched like usual but at seeing Rin's face once again… he felt his muscles throb with irritation.

"Why were you looking at me like that?" He asked irately, crossing his arms and probably being more of a pain about than he needed to be but it was Rin's fault. It was always his fault.

Meanwhile the other's looked at the pair in curiosity. While Nagisa was sure that Rin had been bullying Haru-chan, it seemed to be almost the other way around now. Maybe that's why he hadn't wanted them to get involved. Their relationship seemed rather close for the half-month that the other had been attending school at this point. It was a bit strange but Rin didn't seem unhappy and neither did Haru-chan. So their relationship was… positive? All that time Rin had been teasing Haru-chan had really just been jokes? But, how come they didn't know about this? Haru-chan never got new friends without them knowing and he never spent time with anyone they didn't approve of. Haru-chan had never really been one for making new friends to begin with ever since elementary school. So how did Rin manage to get under the other's skin?

Makoto on the other hand was panicking. Of all the things he didn't want happening, it was Rin coming back to the swimming pool. Haru's attention was always focused on him when he was nearby and lately even more so than usual. Makoto had just begun to think that they were getting on better terms from how they hung out on Saturday with Ren and Ran. They had seemed almost like a domestic couple, playing videogames and tucking the others in. Why did it matter if Rin looked at him or not? He threw his clothes to the redhead instead of letting him pick them up, like he planned to return to the other instead of Makoto. Makoto could tell that the other even left the pool to go back to Rin.

The more he thought about it, the more he could see Rin eating at Haru's personality little by little. He was changing and orbiting around the other, talking to him, staring at him… how long had this been going on without him noticing? Just how long had Rin been luring him into his trap? Yes, Makoto was pissed but the only thing that managed to make him even angrier was the fact that Rin was being trapped as well. By Haru. He could see it in the other's eyes when the other had dived, the way his eyes stared at his beautiful form, at his graceful and natural swimming. They had all done it before—been awestruck by Haru's beauty in water. But he was the only one who Haru had asked. He was the only one who made Haru emerge from the water's depths and the only one who had managed to make Haru visibly agitated at his stare. Who was this guy to just swoop in steal Haru for himself? This Matsuoka Rin was dangerous. He needed to be dealt with like he dealt with all the others who had vied unsuccessfully for Haru's attentions while simultaneously pulling Haru closer. He thought that before everyone knew that Haru was "taken" but this idiot still wanted to play in untainted waters. He'd stop this nonsense before it went too far. But for now he had to deal with the issue at hand.

"I… I wasn't… I didn't mean…" The redhead had stuttered, trying to save face in front of Haru's powerful stare. He sighed in a resigned fashion before looking directly at Haru. Makoto's heart froze. There was something dangerous in that stare. He didn't like it. Not at all. "I just thought… your dive kind of made me… want to swim."

In that moment, where Rin's honest stare pierced into Haruka and his statement was out into the air… Haruka felt a bit hot under the collar. His lips twitched and he gulped while he felt something he hadn't felt in a while in public. Embarrassment. He almost felt like Rin's backwards compliment was the best thing anyone's said to him in years. And under the unknown scrutiny of Makoto they both thought the same thing when they looked at the redhead who had turned away from him, a bit red himself. He really is dangerous.


	8. Misunderstanding After Misunderstanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man it's been so long since I updated on here... gomen! >~

Makoto lurched upright in his bed, his eyes wide and his body sweating heavily while his chest heaved with the heavy breaths he exhaled. It happened again, though he wasn’t too surprised about that. These dreams had been a constant recurring habit that his body had been experiencing, he often woke up in the middle of the night, flushed, his pants tight and soaked through with his desire for a certain raven beauty. Of course his wet dreams were about Haru, that was a given though that didn’t mean he liked them any. Makoto often thought such a thing was like soiling or insulting the other since they weren’t together yet. He always managed to feel like a complete creep afterwards too because of how he had to deal with his “situation”. Though lately his thoughts had been getting filthier, more disturbingly realistic. He made love to him against the wall, with Haru bent over, after practice in the pool, pounding him until he was forced to wail Makoto’s name to the heavens, letting everyone on the street know just who he belonged to... Makoto groaned in a tortured way, his lower regions getting even steamier at his thoughts.

He hated the dirty thoughts he had about the other at times because he just knew if he had a single chance to do any of that with the raven, he'd jump at the chance and pound him until he couldn't swim the next day. The other was far too tempting for him to push away, mentally or physically. He couldn't deny his body, couldn't bring himself to push away the pleasure given by the thought of Haru. A large hand drifted down his abs with a feather light touch, fluttering over his base while his dream melded with the depressing reality of his self masturbation without Haru in sight. The fantasy he just woke from had Haru and him in the bath, Haru without a bathing suit in sight. He rubbed and fisted the azure-eyed boy’s erection as he listened to the remembered melody of Dream Haru's moans that rang through the foggy bathroom. He blushed in both shame and embarrassment. He always got the feeling that the beautiful raven could somehow tell when he did such a thing. What was the other doing now while he began to pump himself harder? Did he ever do this to himself? 

 **"Ah... Haru..."** his breathy moan sounded while he tried not to wake anyone up.

* * *

 

_Harsh breaths that left steam rising steadily into the air exited from rosy and kiss-swollen lips. The creaking of his bed was drowned out by their heated breaths and desperate moans while their bodies, naked and trembling, continuously thrust against each other in a repetitive and tiresome rhythm that they couldn’t stop even if they tried. The sensation was delicious, the friction of their slick, muscled chest rubbing relentlessly, the feverish hands that held onto his back, he couldn’t help himself any longer and released a surprisingly loud moan from his constricting throat. Their members ground addictively while they unconsciously attempted to relieve themselves of the white hot ache that had settled into their stomachs. Haruka clenched the bed sheets besides a faceless person’s head, going at it even harder when he felt the other’s trembling hips, wetly undulating against him. He twitched and his muscles tensed with arousal and he caught his other moan in his mouth, breaking off a curse._

_Haruka sometimes had dreams like these wherein he mindlessly rutted against a faceless body, a passionless movement that he only did to relieve what had already been there and usually he woke with the urge to bathe and sticky sheets. But this time it felt different. Far different. His breath came too fast and his body felt like it was melting as he was pulled towards a strong body, supporting and pleasing the other instead of just himself. He felt unfamiliar muscles against his stomach and boiling hot breaths on his reddening collarbones. What was this feeling? His body tingled and buzzed with the exhilarating feeling and he gave himself over to pleasure with little resistance._

_But just whose familiar voice was it that rang through his ears? Who was it that made him so excited at every moan and brush of their bodies? His azure orbs creaked open to be assaulted by red. His breath hitched at the sight, bright red hair spilled almost like liquid along the whiteness of his sheets, tanned skin seemed to go on for eternity as there seemed to be nothing to even remotely cover him, and his face flushed brightly while his hips made the other's toes curl into themselves. Was it... Rin?!_

* * *

 

              Makoto jerked his hips into his hand, his cock weeping at his unfulfilled fantasies and desires. Dream Haru was now on top of him in the tiny, ceramic tub while Makoto’s big hands helped Haru sandwich their members together while Haru panted those soft, aroused breaths that made Makoto want to just push him down and put it in him already. The other soon had his same sentiments and stopped moving his hand, silently leaning forward and clumsily kissing Makoto with pouty, pink lips while he guided the other’s hand down his back to reach the soft but firm ass he’d always imagined. Makoto kneaded Fantasy Haru’s beautiful mounds before slipping a finger between his vulnerable cheeks and prodding his hole much to Dream Haru’s delight. A shaky moan slipped in his mouth and he quickly penetrated the other until the second knuckle. Of course he laughed in a mothering nature at this, finding Fantasy Haru’s reactions adorable.

 **“Haru, calm down. I’ll make you feel even better later if you want,”** He kissed him heatedly, their slickened tongues sliding indecently together while Dream Haru’s expression got even more obscene with his watery eyes and reddened cheeks. **“Haru… you look so cute. Can you hold out for a little longer?”** He asked gently as though his own face wasn’t that of a predator’s hunting an adorable dolphin. Haru’s eyes flashed the same shimmering color it did whenever he was near a huge body of water and he shook his head, weakly pushing him back and getting closer to him.

 **“Can’t… need you now…”** He said in a husky voice that almost in itself made Makoto orgasm. His own cock was bright red and begging for more of his vivid memories that were etched pervertedly into his mind. His back was arched slightly and he eagerly fucked his hand, wanting it desperately to be Haru’s mouth, Haru’s hand, Haru’s entrence… anything but his own and he held out on his own orgasm just to see where this Fantasy would take him next. Even when pleasuring himself he was a creep that wanted to see all of Haru’s imagined reactions and go all the way with him. In their dreams he almost always went all the way, making Haru nearly collapse by how hard they went at it.

But, he couldn’t help himself. He was sure had anyone else been in the position where they saw his wet body on a daily basis while he was half-naked in an apron, that they would have this problem too. He was lucky the other had no one he liked. He knew he wouldn’t be able to handle himself if he did. Not like he was doing much better now indulging himself in dreams that might never be realized.

* * *

 

_“Rin?!” He cried out softly, looking down at the redhead in utter surprise while his hips painfully halted their haunting movement. He was in shock, what was this? A nightmare? His limbs trembled while he looked at the other’s sweaty body that looked almost ready to orgasm had it not been for his shock. He suddenly felt like he should’ve kept his eyes closed but he still would’ve been bumping and grinding with… Rin… what the hell? He waited for the, dream to foam away like it usually would when he was finished with the awkward stranger but was left on top of a quickly confused Rin who's breaths slowed and he sat up, the other's appearance—still dyed with lust—stirring something hot in him as it got closer and Haruka scrambled off of him._

_"Haruka?" Haruka? When did Rin ever call him Haruka? What kind of dream was this? He saw Rin looking at him, utter confusion swimming in his red orbs while he stared at him, his legs crossed and Kami-sama, Haruka never imagined he’d see that part of Rin anytime soon, tall, erect and soaking from their previous activities. Haruka blushed lightly in his disturbance and covered his own cock which strangely hadn’t softened despite this extremely weird scene. “Haruka what’s wrong…?” Rin’s look turned into a concerned one as he crossed over the bed on his hands and knees, reaching to his face only to have Haruka violently flinch back from him and his hand turned limp, falling to his side as a look of hurt flashed through his painfully expressive eyes even as he quickly recoiled and scowled._

_He stared at Rin, feeling a dull and painful throb in his chest at the look. Why? Why did he look like that? He was so confused, his head felt like it was spinning. It was only when he caught sight of those trembling lips that were barely stifled by sharp teeth, the way his fists clenched the cotton material of the fabric beneath him as if to keep him rooted… the way his eyes darted to the side but were still watering and filling to their brim… he felt a pang of guilt hit his chest. He’s seen that expression on his face before but Haruka himself had never been the cause of it. He was just a bystander. But somehow, he hated it when Rin looked to him like he’d ripped his heart out and spat on it._

_Before he knew it, he reached forward and touched the other’s neck lightly, surprising the other. He was surprised as he’d never made the attempt to touch the other before… but his skin was smooth, soft even and warm against his cool skin. His hand fluttered over his cheek, running along his jawbone and rubbing his thumb against his cheek, feeling hot liquid spill on it. The other surprisingly leaned into the touch with a reluctant expression but he could feel the other’s rapid heartbeat in his pulse. He gazed at the other, the feeling of pain fading to be replaced by a warm feeling when the other hesitantly reached up and entangled their fingers. “Sorry… please don’t make that face… anymore…” He said in a weirdly tender voice that sounded foreign to his ears. Red dyed the other’s cheeks and Rin huffed, getting even closer to Haruka. His arms wrapped around him in a tight hug and he glared at him._

_“Whose fault do you think it is?” he complained, tugging the back of his hair gently while he edged closer and sat on his lap with Haruka unable to refuse him even in his dreams. “Take responsibility for your action dammit. Or rather…” A smirk tugged at the other’s full lips and he descended on him to press them into his own pliant lips, “I’ll make you. Tonight, you’re cumming first Haruka,” Rin’s voice got lower as he purred the words in his ear, making Haruka shiver before he registered a warm mouth encircling his throbbing cock and he jerks, covering his mouth so that embarrassingly loud moan didn’t come out again._

_“Hah… Rin…” He called out softly, shuddering at the feeling of soft lips and a hot tongue tending to his needs while Rin’s cocky eyes stared up at him defiantly though his blush told him he was feeling a bit embarrassed too. “Wha—ah!” His hands flew to Rin’s hair gripping it tightly in between his hands before unconsciously loosening his hold so Rin wasn’t in pain._

* * *

 

Dream Haru decided to take him in by himself in his desperateness, levitating over his erect member and staring at it longingly while they both shivered in anticipation. He was twitching in his own palm, waiting for the visual of the other to finish him off. He knew it would as he could never imaging the sensation of actually being inside Haru… being one with him… His Fantasy Haru moved directly above him, guiding his cock to his prepped hole as Makoto gripped the base of his cock to hold out just a moment longer, just to see this…

He and Haru jolted when they felt their two most intimate spots make contact and he took a deep breath as gravity began to make Dream Haru stretch wider over his blunt head. Haru hissed in light pain and Makoto rubbed his hips soothingly while his counterpart in reality caught his breath at the other determinedly sitting slowly on his cock. Makoto’s breath sped as he watched with rapt attention, it inched into him, disappearing into his body that twitched and arched with every movement. A moan was bubbling in his throat as the pressure got hotter and hotter. Haru whimpered and he could only gulp at the other’s sexiness while he guided Haru's hips to sink on his cock and take him inside. Once he was fully sheathed, filling Haru to the brim, he began pumping again both in his dream and reality.

 **"Haru... ngh, does it h-hurt?"** he quickly moved his sweaty palm up his shaft. He imagined that Haru would only whimper and shake his head while rolling his hips. Makoto's head rolled back and he gasped at the vivid visual his mind had conjured. The other was bouncing faster, engulfing his member in unbearable heat while he teased his head, rubbing his slit while he moaned the other's name softly. He wondered what the others would say… what they would think if they ever saw him like this. If they ever knew that Mamakoto jerked off to thoughts of her baby Haru. He didn’t want the role of Mother anymore. He wanted more, all of it. All of Haru. He was close, he knew after all that teasing he wouldn’t last long for the actual “sex” so he rode it out as best as he could, stroking Haru every way he knew how until Haru was panting and whining, close as well.

* * *

 

               _“A-Ah… Rin… Rin sto—” he cut himself of with his halted breath as the other sped his sucking, licking his tongue heavily over the slit until Haruka almost couldn’t contain himself. He panted harshly even though he knew it was a dream, it felt so entirely good that he shivered down to his bones while the white hot sensation built in the base of his stomach, the knot getting bigger and bigger. If Rin didn’t stop Haruka would… at the mental image of such a naughty thing happening, Haruka got even more aroused, his hips lifting into the other’s mouth. “Ah! Rin, I… I’m…”_

* * *

 

               Makoto stroked harder, pumping until he felt his arm ache and his hips followed with every stroke. He could taste it, he was so close. He gripped Fantasy Haru’s hips and pounded into him, his body on edge to the point where a single movement sent shocks down his spine. **“Haru… Haru… I-I…”**

* * *

 

               **_“Ah!”_**

* * *

 

               Upon waking, Haruka inspected his bed and as he thought, his sheets were soaking wet and there was no Rin to be found. The second part was considered to be a good thing as his mind felt like it was in shambles. A wet dream… about Rin… it simply did not compute in his mind and he resigned not to think about it for the rest of the night, lest he be unable to rest after his restless sleep. It was two in the morning and he needed as much sleep as he could get now if he was going to be even remotely bearable in the morning.

               The next day was as he predicted, a complete wreck. Already hating mornings as it is, he had to get himself up so he could get his daily soak in so he didn’t feel like he was drying up in class and his body just was not having it. He also thought that part of it might’ve been because he just didn’t want to see Rin today. After that dream… Haruka felt his cheeks heat in embarrassment and he sighed, getting up and out of bed. He had a feeling Rin would come to tutoring even if he didn’t go to school and that he’d have to see him anyway so he would have to get over that soon enough. It wasn’t that he disliked Rin… he just felt guilty for dreaming of him like that. If Rin knew what he’d been dreaming about, Rin would definitely be embarrassed. Haruka sighed and idly played with the water in his hands as he heard the usual cheerful voice of his best friend downstairs.

               He waited for him to come up, staying in the cool bath for as long as he could until Makoto came through the doorway and scolded him like usual. He paid no attention and drained the tub before taking his hand and exiting the soothing body of water. He stayed in the bathroom longer than he usually would have, drying his body off and wondering what he should do about something like this. He wanted to tell Makoto but… would he think any differently of him if he told? No, probably not. They had been friends since they were six and he would probably give him advice if anything… but it was so embarrassing Haruka thought he might die if he told him. Maybe… maybe he could cut some things out? Just who the person is. Yes, it was much less embarrassing that way.

               Haruka put his uniform on and cooked his mackerel but of course the other noticed the slight stiffness in his movements. The pauses in between steps where there shouldn’t have been any. He didn’t doubt that he probably looked weird doing all this but it really was just him trying to gain the confidence to tell Makoto. He sighed and closed his eyes as they exited his house and walked down the stairs. He heard Makoto’s excessive silence and he just knew that the other was coming with some observation. When the other asked him what was wrong, he’d say it then. He only had to wait all of ten seconds before Makoto came out with,

               “What are you worrying about?” He sighed in both agitation and relief as he nibbled on his mackerel and toast. It was now or never.

               “Makoto… is it normal… to dream about doing dirty things to a friend? I’m positive I don’t like this friend like that but it happened anyway and…” He sighed, looking away with a light pink flush on his cheeks.

               Though while he stumbled upon his words, Makoto froze. Was this really happening? Did Haru really just tell him… that he had dirty dreams? Makoto felt like he was in one of his own fantasies and blushed himself as he glanced down at the shy Haru. His heart thudded in his chest at the look. Haru couldn’t look at him, he was blushing and fidgeting around him… did that mean…

               “Makoto?” Haru’s voice broke through his trance and he looked down as Haru looked up with his worried blue eyes. It made Makoto smile warmly and he pat the other’s head in a nurturing way. Old habits die hard after all. Haru looked up at him, his eyes unsure and Makoto said,

               “It’s okay to have dreams like that Haru. Did you know that you can’t dream of people you’ve never seen before? Even if they’re strangers, your brain can only make images of people or things you’ve seen so perhaps you had… um… that kind of dream about a friend because you feel safe with them instead of some faceless person. People dream of actors and such sometimes even if they don’t like them romantically and having those kinds of dreams are perfectly normal.” Makoto smiled his signature mother hen smile at Haru who looked fairly relieved at his statement. Makoto could’ve easily said something that bent to his benefit since it was obvious the other probably dreamed of him—why else would he omit the name from his story—but he wouldn’t. He’d let the other come into it on his own. Makoto was sure that that would only make his victory sweeter.

               Haruka felt as if he’d been given a second breath of life at Makoto’s words which surprisingly made a lot of sense. So he wasn’t attracted to Rin… but he felt safe around him… Haruka supposed that would be accurate since he thought of him as a pet/brother most of the time. He wouldn’t work himself up over it anymore now. He nodded to Makoto in thanks and Makoto just smiled at him like he always did. It almost made Haruka feel dumb for almost doubting him before. He opened his mouth to say something, when suddenly he felt something big collide into him with a high speed, knocking him off-balance and making him fall to the concrete.

               He hissed and winced as he peeled his eyes open and saw a vibrant red color above him. Really? Now? Why did he always have to bump into this guy at every turn? When his gaze focused he suddenly realized just how close the other was to him and turned away coldly, “Is this how you greet everyone, Matsuoka?”

               He heard a gasp above him and refrained from gasping himself when he leaned back and sat on his lap, bracing his hands on his chest. He heard a slight sputter before a growl and the almost comfortable weight disappeared from his lap. He looked up to be greeted with glaring red eyes, “Don’t say it like it’s my fault! You should’ve looked where you were going!” He bit out and Haruka would’ve retorted if his attention hadn’t have been caught by the other’s attire. He had on sweats, sweats that actually looked as if they had been recently used. There was more evidence of this as he saw the light reflect off of Rin’s slightly glistening skin. The muscle shirt he wore was also out of character and once again his hair was in a ponytail.

               “Do you like having your hair in ponytails or something?” He asked, eying it much to Rin’s embarrassment. Haruka thought that the other got embarrassed over ridiculous things sometimes but he wouldn’t doubt that it was fun to see the sweaty teen grit his teeth and say,

               “N-No! I told you b-before it’s in m-my way when I do… stuff…” He looked away before tsking and checking his watch. “Ugh, thanks to talking to you, there won’t be much time to get changed.” He griped and Haruka raised his eyebrow.

               “Changed?”

               “I run… to school… sometimes…” Rin said a bit hesitantly before literally running away from Haruka who frowned as he caught the sight of his elbow. It was bleeding—well he did fall on concrete without a jacket on. He sighed, trying to push away the insensible guilt he felt right then before getting up and brushing himself off. Though Haruka was surprised, he didn’t know that Rin ran to school, he always assumed he walked with Gou. He guessed he was wrong again, after all the other was as predictable as an explosion.

              He and Makoto eventually made it to school when Rin exited the bathroom, not a patch in sight on his body though he had on his uniform so it was possible that the patch was just covered up. Surely Rin couldn’t be that much of an idiot to not notice he was injured right? He didn’t have time to ask him as Matsuoka was rushing to get to class before the bell rang. That was a bit unexpected, though Haruka assumed he couldn’t expect any less as Rin was apparently in the top ten students of the school, he took diligent notes, and even tutored others. He supposed despite his horrible temperament that Rin was, in essence, a good boy. Haruka nearly smirked at that while he walked to class after the redhead who seemed quite lively today.

               Haruka ended up sleeping through his first classes to catch up on his sleep from his disrupted pattern. It was a nice rest where he dreamt his usual dreams of pools, waterfalls, and endless swimming. When he woke it was lunch and everyone was in front of him with smiling faces. It would be disturbing if they weren’t his friends, Haruka almost found antics like this kind of nice for them. He creaked the rest of his eyes open and stretched while he attempted to discreetly look for Rin. He didn’t seem to be present in the room so he figured the other must’ve gone upstairs like he usually does.

               He silently got up and walked over to the roof, knowing that the others would follow like they usually did, making idle chatter beside him. He gave a short breath when he saw that the other was indeed on the roof but there seemed to be something off about him… He wasn’t sitting like he usually sat. Haruka walked over to check on him only to see that his face was a bit pale and he was looking directly upwards with a hand over his mouth.

               “Oi, Matsuoka, what’s wrong with you?” He asked, looking at the other before peering down at the other’s arm to see a good-sized spot of dark red directly on the elbow. His eyes swiftly narrowed and he looked at the other to see he was looking the completely opposite direction of his elbow.

               “N…Nothing’s wrong with me… Nanase. G-Go eat with your friends…” He told him through his hand. Haruka sighed irritably and grabbed the other’s arm in a firm but gentle grasp.

               “Idiot,” He muttered as he forcefully pulled the other to his feet much to the other’s surprise. He was actually quite strong despite his lean body, he was always swimming after all. Something had to come from it he supposed.

               “Oi! Nanase! Put me back d-dow—” Haruka attempted to drag the other a step forward only for the other to buckle slightly. He looked back at the other to see him panting a little and looking away with an angry look before he snatched his hand away.

               “What is it no—”

               “None of your fucking business!” he ground out much to his irritation. The other wasn’t usually this opposed to taking things from him so why was he acting prideful now? Well he supposed he did just ask for them… perhaps he childishly believes that Haruka wasn’t helping him and only doing such things because he said so. He looked at the other while he sulked on the floor like a sick child and sighed in exasperation.

               Kneeling in front of him, he looked the other in the eye and asked, “Are you afraid of blood?”

               “No, you asshole! Who’s afraid of blood?! I’m… I—”

               “Does blood perhaps make you sick?” He asked and the other shut his mouth, probably knowing how bad of a liar he was. Haruka nodded slightly, well there was his answer. The other couldn’t stand the sight of blood apparently.

               “Don’t look at me like that. I can still kick your ass Nanase,” He gritted out, looking away with an upset look that shockingly resembles how he did in the dream. The other was quite upset about this… maybe it wouldn’t be right to tease him. Just this once. He got up and quickly went to obtain a first aid kit that’s usually by the fire escape on the roof and came back to the other, pushing his sleeve up and seeing the bloody wound that wasn’t so bad at first. It probably just looks worse because the other hadn’t cleaned it. “Oi, Nana—ugh…” he groaned at the sight and looked away while Haruka kneeled beside him and cleaned his elbow. He put a patch on afterwards and said,

               “Take your shirt off,” Rin quickly snapped back to attention when that was mentioned, looking at him and slowly beginning to blush before growling.

               “Absolutely not you fucking perv!”

               “I’m not a perv,” Haruka stiffened at that particular insult, especially with the dream he had yesterday he’d considered that option himself. But, that was just because Rin felt safe to him and he was making him do this for his own good, not for any personal interests. He objected to being labeled a pervert, rolling his eyes.

               “Yes you are, you want me to take my shirt off—”

               “So that you won’t get sick from seeing your ruined shirt,” He interrupted, looking sharply at the ill but lively teen. He stiffened but soon looked away and huffed in irritation. He took his shirt off slowly and tossed it to Haruka while he sat in a loose, grey muscle shirt.

               “There…” He said, looking at him with a pouty face. “You, know Nanase…” He said quietly as he leaned forward to him. Haruka raised an eyebrow, wondering what this guy had to say. Maybe he was about to say thank you for once. Haruka listened attentively to the other until he felt a warm and heavy object drape around his shoulders and realized with a surprise that it was Rin on his shoulder, his chin hooking over his shoulder so that their faces almost brushed.

               Haruka stiffened at this contact, he felt weird right then. It wasn’t like he’d never been hugged before, on the contrary he’s been assaulted by hugs daily by Nagisa and sometimes the entire team decided to pounce on him and trap him into accepting their “love”. But… it hadn’t ever made his heart twinge like this, or make his muscles tense as badly as when Rin did it. He didn’t dislike the other’s touch but, he really felt like after a few seconds he couldn’t take any more of the sensations it caused. So he looked away and tried to push off the other who stubbornly held on to him. “W-What do you want, Matsuoka?”

               “I want meat for dinner,” He said in a tone almost as flat as him which led to the not meaningful and anticlimactic ending where Haruka honestly got pissed for the other working him up so much just to eat meat. This idiot… he would make sure to give him a hulking piece of mackerel.

               “No,” He said flatly and attempted again to squirm out of the other’s warm hold only to feel his breath brush by his ear and stiffen further. “Let go of me already,” He complained while the other looked at him over his shoulder.

               “Why? Does hugging make you uncomfortable?” Rin asked and Haruka thought it might be easier to say yes than to just tell him that his touch disturbs him. He nodded and the other sighed and let go of him much to his relief, “I still want meat though, fix me some!”

               “No.” He said with finality as he walked back over to his friends and sat. He discretely looked over to Rin only to see that he glared at him for a moment and turned to lay on his back. Haruka clenched the bloodstained fabric of the other in his hands and turned back to his friends, ignoring their curious looks.

               Makoto didn’t believe he was a violent person by nature. He hated violence and generally didn’t want anything to do with it which is why he generally got along really well with animals and children since he wasn’t threatening. There was many times he’s even been called a giant teddy bear because of his tall stature and contradicting softness. He was afraid of ghosts and extremely gentle but usually when it came to the things he cared about, he became quite overprotective and he could assume that was one of his faults since not everyone could have a heart of gold. He thought his might earn the title of silver or something along those lines. However at this point, his heart felt like it was made of lead when he saw Matsuoka hugging his Haru and even have the indecency to put his head on his shoulder.

               Does he have any idea how long it took Makoto to get even close to being able to casually putting his arm around the other or even grabbing his shirt when he was smaller? Well, Haru was considerably less social and harder to talk to in elementary school but still, even Nagisa didn’t get s

o casual with Haru so early. What made him think that he was the right choice to do such things to Haru? That he was allowed to? He sighed in thankfulness when Haru told him to get off and he settled back into his seat as he was just about ready to go over and do unspeakable things to Rin. He supposed he really was the jealous type.

               He made sure to walk Haru home and edged on a question he’d been wanting to ask him for a while now. He wanted to eat dinner over Haru’s house again. It had been a while since he’d last done it and he really loved the atmosphere when they ate together. He never felt more like a newlywed couple then when he was with Haru. He’d reach over and brush a stray crumb from his lip, letting his thumb stroke the soft skin a bit longer than necessary, feeding Haru some of his food and the quiet ease that surrounded them was amazing to Makoto. He’d been longing to do that again but recently Haru hadn’t been wanting to hang out with him after swim practice was over and he found it disheartening to be rejected so many times by him. But, he resolved that he’d try again today.

               As they walked side by side to Haru’s house the question edged on the tip of his tongue, preventing any other words from escaping him and it turned out to be a rather awkward walk while Makoto attempted to gather his courage. Sooner than he would’ve liked, they reached the stairs to Haru’s house and easily walked up. It was now or never Makoto. He knew he could do it, he had to just ask. The worst thing he could say was no—but then again that in itself was quite painful. As he opened his mouth to ask the fateful question, Haru opened the door… and they saw another pair of shoes lying at the step. Makoto looked at the familiar red and black running shoes and turned to Haru in question since Haru liked blue, not red.

               “Haru… what are tho—” he looked to his side only to discover Haru had went inside after the mystery person who left their shoes on the step. Makoto quickly discarded his shoes as well and went after him only to once again see what was quickly becoming the bane of his existence. Matsuoka Rin was lying on the floor with Haru’s pillow under his head, looking for all the world like he was doing the most normal thing ever though he broke into Haru’s house and is now sleeping on his floor. His light breaths that sounded through the house sounded much louder with the awkward silence and questions in the air. “Why is—”

               Makoto gasped slightly when he saw Haru kneel by the intruder’s side and flick him in the forehead, not without force either. Makoto was almost always surprised with the other’s method of handling things as it could be brash itself in its own way. Matsuoka immediately yelped and sprung upright in his nest to glare hatefully at Haru, as if he knew exactly who he’d find hovering over him with a blank and silent look. “Ow! You bastard! What the hell was that for?” He growled, looking at Haru’s impassive face while he gently massaged at the red spot that was growing on his forehead.

               “You…” Makoto honestly didn’t know what Haru was going to do to the Goldilocks that they had found in his house who even had the nerve to act rudely when in the face of the house’s owner. How did he know where Haru lived anyway? Did he just always sneak into other’s houses? Should Makoto call the cops? No, not necessary as he soon found out because Haru swiftly cleared his confusion with a single sentence. “You’re early. Why?”

               Makoto’s jaw dropped. What the hell? You’re early? Matsuoka looked at him for a minute and smirked in a snarky way with his dangerous teeth showing that honestly crept Makoto out. The redhead got up from his spot and went easily to Haru’s kitchen, baffling Makoto because he actually knew where it was and was now casually going through his refrigerator like he’s done so plenty of times before. He instantly brought out a foreign object that he’s never seen in Haru’s freezer before. Meat. Where the hell did he get that? Were they in the right house? Haru hated eating meat.

               “I’m hungry so I bought the steak. Cook it for me,” He commanded Haru who looked at the other, his eye twitching slightly.

               “So you were really serious about that?” He asked and Makoto could practically feel the annoyance coming off the other in waves.

               Matsuoka looked almost as if someone had insulted him before he glared at Haru, crossing his arms defiantly, “Of course I meant it. Nanase, you should eat something other than fish for once. How can you be a swimmer when you don’t eat a proper athlete’s meal?”

               “Don’t pretend to be so concerned about my wellbeing, you just want to eat meat,” Haru huffed and Matsuoka stared at him for a while before huffing himself.

               “Yes, there. I said it,” Haru rolled his eyes and turned away from him.

               “Fine you idiot. I’ll take a bath, then you can eat. Entertain yourself without me.”

               Matsuoka gave a triumphant grin and put the meat on the counter, going back to his spot on the floor and going back to sleep, completely ignoring Makoto who looked at the duo with a perplexed and irate look. Though he quickly covered that up in favor for a shocked expression. He didn’t like this. He didn’t like this at all and didn’t even know what was going on. Why is Haru so familiar with Matsuoka already? It took him years to be invited over to Haru’s house!

               “What… just happened?” He trailed after Haru, leaving the sleeping Matsuoka stationary. “Why is… How… What’s going on?” He sputtered as the other indifferently unbuttoned his shirt and undid his belt to reveal his swimsuit. He started his bath and got into the water while he leaned back and sighed a bit. Why did he hide this from him? Why would he? “Are… Are you two…?”

               “Don’t get any crazy ideas in your head Makoto. Matsuoka is my tutor,” He looked at the other and for anyone else he would’ve called that a bullshit excuse for what he just witnessed but this was Haru after all… really what could the other possibly have gotten roped into with his mindset, “He’s also my pet,” Makoto flinched and turned slowly to the other with a blank look while Haru just sat in the tub as if it were the most natural thing in the world, having a human pet downstairs.

               “Your… p…pet?”

               “Yeah, he reminds me of a cranky neko and he’s always over my house… so he’s my pet,” He said as if it really were as simple as that. However, suddenly Makoto remembered the day they were at the aquarium when the other kept texting away on his cell phone and he peeked over his shoulder to see the word ‘pet’ as his contact. He dismissed it before, seeing as Nagisa had put himself under ‘The Seafood Ringleader’ and put Rei down under ‘Majestic Butterfly’ yet Haru hadn’t bothered changing them until Rei did it himself, claiming it was too much effort. But with this new development he now found out that not only did Matsuoka had Haru’s number, but he was the mystery texter who made Haru start carrying his phone and who Haru never not replied to. The sick feeling in his chest boiled brighter and he nearly growled at this.

               “Why did he command you to make food for him like that? Matsuoka knows you don’t like meat yet he inconvenienced you by making you cook it,” he asked him, wondering if this was really all real. Was he just having a nightmare? He’s never hoped for a negative dream so much in his life. His eyes wanted to squeeze shut and he wanted to wake up in his bed with a shocked look on his face and go to school to see Haru disliking Matsuoka again. Haru just looked at him with a peculiarly calm look though Makoto could tell he was looking at him as if he were dumb.

               “He’s my pet. Of course I have to feed him. He’d probably starve if I didn’t,” the raven said in his blunt fashion that made Makoto almost wither away to nothing. Haru… really thought of the other as a pet didn’t he. But, he wasn’t! Haru was not taking care of some giant cat, he had a seventeen year old boy downstairs! He knew if someone as pretty and wonderful as Haru made him dinner every day and took care of him… that was that, he’d probably fall in love with him instantly.

               “Haru-chan, but Matsuoka isn’t a cat! He’s a guy. And… And if you keep doing this, Matsuoka might get the wrong idea. He might even… try to do something…” He said, trying to be gentle but the other sank down in the tub, looking as if he were ignoring him but Makoto knew he was now thinking about it.

               “I don’t think he will. Matsuoka… he’s not a bad guy. He’s annoying, like a little brother almost. I can’t really leave him alone. You know how that is, right Makoto?” He asked, raising an eyebrow and Makoto knew that he was referring to him. Makoto wanted to scream, he wanted to say, ‘Don’t look at me as if I’m a living example! I don’t like you like a little brother!’ But he couldn’t say anything, he couldn’t do anything but mourn that Haru still thought of him like a caretaker and that he apparently adopted some of his tendencies to care for others… but why did it have to be Matsuoka? He was standing right here, wanting the attention! Sputtering a bit, he opened and closed his mouth a few times until he looked down and sighed in defeat.

               “Yeah… I guess you’re right… but I… could I still stay for dinner? You have Matsuoka over too,” He said as if to give evidence as to why he should be able to stay since the other didn’t even know the other that well yet had the privilege to dine with him every day. Haru looked at him and nodded much to his delight. He could kill two birds in one stone this way. While the brat downstairs had shown them his interaction with Haru, he had never looked at Makoto and how well he knew Haru. It would be obvious to him that he was a third wheel with them around.

               After his bath, Haruka got out of the bath and sighed, wondering how the other would take to Makoto being there. He hadn’t even acknowledged him before when he was downstairs and even faked going back to sleep. Haruka almost sighed then too, he was even awful at pretending. How was anyone supposed to believe he was asleep when he had his shoulders a bit tensed like that and that slight, nervous pinch in between his brow? Anyone would notice that he’s not relaxed. Or at least that’s what Haruka though, considering that many people thought him oblivious and indifferent.

               He changed into his relaxed clothes and went downstairs to see the other had eventually lulled himself to sleep without the presence of another in the room. Haruka couldn’t say he wasn’t relieved about that since he obviously had been tense about the other coming over so suddenly. He must’ve been surprised. Haruka told himself that he’d ask him about it later. Leaving the neko asleep, he walked to the kitchen and began grilling his mackerel, finishing that easily and then began on the meat. It wasn’t like he didn’t know how to cook meat, Haruka actually knew his way around the kitchen quite well. He was even the ace in his home economics class. Meanwhile, Makoto kept up a steady stream of conversation behind him and he cooked naturally to the background noise though Rin was usually pretty quiet when he cooked.

               When he finished, he seasoned the other’s meat as the other had specifications that he liked spicy foods on the note by his food and he thought to get the other a glass of milk to go with it since his grandmother always told him that spicy foods go best with milk. Setting the dishes on the low table, he was amused by how the other immediately woke to the smell of his dinner. He set down Makoto’s as well, who sat between them and he grinned gratefully. Rin sat up sleepily but looked at the food with eagerness. It was the first time Haruka had ever seen that expression when he fed him and Haruka felt a strange, warm pit in his stomach. He ignored the feeling and instead focused on Makoto who called him.

               “Haru-chan, it’s been a while since we’ve ate together like this,” The brunette said, confusing Haruka for a moment. Hadn’t they eaten lunch together today? “I haven’t been under your low table since you had the kotatsu out.” He laughed and Haruka only blinked blankly at him while eating his mackerel. The other made the delighted face he always made when he ate his mackerel and he wondered why the other didn’t like mackerel.

               “Matsuoka, why do—”

               “Itadakimasu,” He said ever so quietly that the raven wondered if he actually had said anything at all. And even though he was late with saying it and eating with the rest of them… it was the first time he’s actually thanked him for a meal. He stared at the other while his shark-like teeth ripped through the meat given to him at amazing speed and he briefly wondered if the other was more evolutionarily inclined to eat this type of food since the other had pure and utter delight in his eyes while he typically devoured his food. Haruka felt the stupid feeling intensify and if honestly felt like his stomach was churning. He briefly wondered if he was coming down with something and he turned to Makoto.

               “Er… yeah. It’s been a while.” He agreed, abandoning his other train of thought while the other neatly but quickly ate, leaving not a speck of food on his plate. Makoto didn’t talk for a while and looked at the bowl full of mackerel in Haruka’s hand then at his face.

               Haruka could tell the other looked a bit concerned but he tried to make his face as aloof as possible with the other, since he really didn’t want to think about getting sick if that’s what this weird fluttery feeling was. He felt like he couldn’t even eat, it was running rampant in his belly. “Nanase you’re not eating.” He heard the familiar tenor of Matsuoka’s voice who stared at him curiously. The other almost felt like whirling around and asking whose fault that was but he stayed stationary and only looked at his food.

               “Ah… Haru-chan are you alright? Should you lay down?” Makoto asked, a worrying look coming across his face as he naturally reached forward and felt his forehead, tilting his head up and peering into his dazed eyes. He didn’t feel hot and heavy like when he had a fever though. He didn’t feel a headache coming on either… he felt warm though… maybe he should lie down. Another hand, different from Makoto’s gentle touch, burned when it touched the skin of his shoulder. Even though they had no real contact, it singed him through his shirt and he flinched at the contact. He turned to see Rin beside him looking a bit hurt before glaring and snatching his hand back.

               “Whatever, you look sick anyway and I don’t deal with sick people. I’m leaving.” Rin said in a cool voice, his face closed off and his eyes that before were so bright looked like they had this afternoon. Just a bit different. He didn’t look sick, instead he looked… disgusted when he looked down at his hands that were in his lap. Disgusted and angry. He wanted to reach out to the other when he got up, putting his black hoodie on which shrouded him in darkness. His even voice only said to him, “Thanks for the food. And don’t be stubborn when Tachibana-san takes care of you Nanase.” He left the house and shut the door quietly behind him. With that there was no tangible proof that the other was even there with them, like he’d been a mirage. There was only the pillow and blanket he slept in which he surprisingly folded before eating and the actual plate he’d used as reminders he’d actually been there. He hadn’t noticed before but the other was a bit ghost-like with his appearances and disappearances… he almost wondered if he was like that with everyone…

               The mild smirk on Makoto’s face disappeared with his worrying look with Haru who stared at the door the redhead had left out of. Though it hadn’t gone how he expected, he was happy that his plan had worked. It was just the first step to making that guy get out of Haru’s life completely. Because if there was a Matsuoka Rin nearby, it would be much more difficult to get Haru to like him. Unnecessary obstacles can’t be allowed to be in this equation.

               “Come now Haru, let’s go to bed. I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep, ne?”


	9. A Sight You've Never Seen Before!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAAANNN IT'S BEEN TOO LONG SINCE I UPDATED HERE! *bows repeatedly* SORRYYYY!!!

A splash was heard as chlorinated water rose and flickered to the skies from the heavy weight that had easily sliced through it. The slightly chilled but refreshing and clean liquid swirled around him, encasing him in an airtight embrace with no chances of escape, making his heart calm and his eyes close while he let the feeling the water gave him seep into his veins. Into his very being. He swam freely in the deep water that seemed everlasting, doing majestic tricks that would be impossible to achieve on land. In water you were weightless, there was no gravity to hold you back, there was nothing to pull you down. He was truly free down in the waves of heaven. Though bodily needs made him resurface and he stared up at the blue sky, feeling almost as if it were an extension to the currents beneath him. Sapphire eyes shone in wonder and he closed his eyes, intent to relax today and let the wetness warm him.

However, he was tense the moment he dove into the pool, shortening the time he could hold his breath because of the rigidity of his lungs. He felt it before he even saw the water, before he even decided to jump in. It burned as if someone were branding him, it was just something he couldn't ignore no matter if he was out of the water or inside. His stare. Those red eyes beamed him from the sidelines of the pool, where the other curled up in a façade of sleeping. Though Haruka knew better by now. Though the other seemed completely silent and relaxed, facing the waves, he was tense as he was. There was no way someone would be asleep with their shoulders as tense as that. He'd noticed it the other day he came to visit. He hadn't had a pillow that day and was quite restless, very different from the completely relaxed and carefree look he had when sleeping on Haruka's pillow.

The only other explanation for him to be here still was that he was watching them. Haruka in particular. Honestly, it grated on his nerves how he got to be so relaxed and stare at him while he had to try his absolute best to ignore the other's obvious staring. He wasn't even really subtle with it and after he rose to the surface, he saw the other with a strange look in his eye while he just barely twitched or squirmed and remembered his words from the other day. _Watching you… made me want to swim…_ Ugh, were his days of aqueous paradise over? Would he ever be able to calm down around the other? Not as long as he's staring.

And then when the practice was finished, he had the audacity to sit up and stretch as if he'd really been sleeping this entire time instead of practically terrorizing Haruka with his intense stare. He could always tell when someone was staring at him or looking at him but he could never feel their analytical stare sweep over his entire body as he arched into the water, he never felt the utter heat and awe when they admired his form and absolutely never had he felt a pang of longing when he looked to see anticipation bubbling. It wasn't like he wanted Rin to come in or anything, he was just curious about when he'd finally give in and swim with them like he knew the other wanted to.

Sighing, he ruffled his hair with his towel while he dried the moisture off and slipped on his extra pair of swim jammers while dragging his uniform on again. By now he knew the other would be gone again, wisped into thin air and when he got home, the other would magically reappear on his floor, his pillow under his head and his blanket covering his body. Though, Haruka didn't know why the other didn't just walk with Makoto and him to his house since that's where they all went. Slipping on his button up, he went outside to be greeted with Gou-san's complaining sigh. He didn't ask what was wrong but when the girl saw him, she brightened up and asked him,

"Haruka-senpai, do you know where Onii-chan goes every day? He used to pick me up and take me home himself but… lately it's like he's been avoiding me… do you think he's secretly still upset about the pranking thing?" She asked, a sad look on her face and Haruka felt honestly surprised. She thought he was avoiding her? That was absolutely not the case. Haruka didn't know much about the other but he knew that he obviously cared for his sister and that he even forgave her because he cared more about her than being mopey. Ah, but as usual that guy had even more communication problems than him and ends up being an idiot and making people worry. Haruka gave an exasperated sigh and shook his head.

"No, Matsuoka is running right now. He told me he always runs home after practice is over, so he couldn't be avoiding you," Haruka said, looking at her evenly before Gou-san snapped her head around to look at Haruka with eyes nearly as intense as her brother's.

"Wh-What did you say?" She asked with urgency in her voice and Haruka repeated,

"I said, Matsuoka is running home now. He's not avoiding you," Gou looked at him as if he'd just given her the answers to life, or pulled his shirt up and let her run her fingers over his abs. Her eyes sparkled in amazement and her cheeks flushed before she grinned.

"Mou! Why didn't he just tell me? I can't believe it, running? This is amazing!" She cheered loudly and Haruka frowned inwardly. Isn't she a bit too happy to hear that Rin was running? What was so special about it?

Nagisa heard the commotion and lifted an eyebrow, "Gou-kun, what's so amazing about Rin-kun running?" He asked the squealing, excited redhead. Gou-san looked at him, not even miffed about him using Gou and Kun together though it was her biggest pet peeve.

"Onii-chan hasn't gone running in years! And when he did it was for… kyaahh!" She squealed and jumped up and down so much that Haruka was almost nervous for her safety, "The last time he ever went running was when before he went to Australia for the swimming school! I thought something seemed different about him lately!"

Haruka frowned, the other had told Makoto and him that he went running sometimes… Haruka had just taken it as he went for a run every once in a while, not that running had any sort of special meaning. Yet another mystery added onto the elder Matsuoka and Haruka was beginning to just get plain annoyed with it. However… as his eyes drifted back to Gou-san's jumping figure, he realized he was in front of one of the only people who knew any more about the redhead than he did. His curiosity burned and he turned to the small girl, looking at her with unknowingly intense eyes. He had so many questions, why did he stop swimming? Why did he get sick at the sight of blood? Why did he freak out so much when Gou-san played that prank? But the most recent question and the only one he could get away with asking without sounding too interested in Rin was, "Why did he stop running?"

Gou-san's jumping for joy halted and her joyous expression dimmed a little as if she were remembering a bad memory. She looked down at the ground, squirming a little before murmuring, "I… I'm not really positive about what exactly happened but… you guys don't know but… Onii-chan was a completely different person almost before he went to Australia. He was really cheerful and he always smiled and talked a lot and he loved swimming. Swimming was almost like an obsession and he did everything he could to become better at it—including running every day. Like… well here. I have a video that I took of Onii-chan right before he left for Australia. I'd run in crying into his room and ask him not to leave but instead of comforting me, he asked me to take a video of him." Haruka inwardly raised an eyebrow in curiosity as Gou-san took her phone out of her pocket and played the video. All they saw for a brief moment was a messy bed and a small figure, wearing a shark-themed shirt and a pair of sleep shorts. Suddenly they heard a voice… it was childish and bubbly.

"Gou! Mou, I'm up here, point the camera better," The voice scolded playfully before Gou pointed the camera a bit more up and a grinning redhead appeared on screen that shocked Haruka to the extent he had to make a double take. The giggling, little boy on screen… it couldn't be. They were like complete opposites! The boy on the screen was bright, very bright. His grin looked like a thousand watt smile and there were no teeth that looked like they had killer intent… well maybe except for those canines. Wide, disarming, red eyes that shone with happiness and anticipation took place over the glaring and intense orbs he saw every day and there seemed to be… a glow around this boy who sat cross-legged with a little abashed blush that spread on his full cheeks.

Nevertheless, that bright red hair… those features… it was unmistakable. This had to be Matsuoka Rin as a child, _"Okay, is the camera playing?"_ The camera bobbed for a minute and mini Rin grinned wider, _"Yosh! So this video goes to you Gou. Because no matter what you say, I'm going to Australia to the swimming school there. There's nothing you can do,"_ Haruka's eye twitched at the simply uncomforting dialogue he was saying to his sister and his assurance that this was Rin was confirmed. He felt just as irritated looking at him then as he did now.

_"Oniichan! D-Don't say such m-m-mean things!"_ mini Gou cried, her voice wobbly with tears and hiccups and Haruka caught a flash of guilt in the taller redhead's eyes before he sighed and put on a much more serious face that managed to be surprisingly gentle.

_"I'm not trying to be mean Gou… but that's just how it is. Now that aside, I want to tell you why I want to do this so much. Because… I'll miss you too Gou. No matter how annoying you are sometimes. I'll miss mom and dad… but it's not like I'm going away forever!"_ His face brightened up again and he looked to the camera with eager eyes, _"I'm going after my dream Gou, aren't you happy? I'll get to learn from the best and show my worth! I'll get to do my best at what I love! Swimming!"_ Haruka's eyes widened a bit and he stared a bit more intently at the small boy on screen. He could tell the other liked swimming but when the other stared directly at whoever was watching and said it so blatantly… it almost reminded him of himself.

_"Someday you'll find something… hah, or someone I guess… that you feel the same way about. When I'm swimming, I feel amazing. My heart pounds so fast, it's like I'm going to burst and… and it's beautiful. It's like an entirely different world! I feel like I could do anything or go anywhere… I'm completely free! Someday, something will make you feel like that too."_ Haruka stared frozenly at the screen while the other emotionally told everyone why he liked swimming. It was like hearing his own thoughts… that's how he felt… all this time?

_"So… so just know that I'm happy where I am and until you meet again, you can give this Onii-chan a big hug and you can imagine I'm hugging you until I get back to do it in person."_ Mini Rin spread his arms as if to literally hug the small girl and wide red eyes stared tenderly at everyone, the other's full cheeks dyed a bit red, _"I love you!"_

The video ended and he looked at everyone only to discover that they were looking at the video in what looked like embarrassment, even he felt his own cheeks warm a bit. Gou-san was right. He really was different. There was no way that the present Matsuoka Rin could say any of that stuff without spitting curses and putting on a sour face. Rin… when he was younger he had his heart on his sleeve and he said cheesy yet heartwarming things while this Rin couldn't even crack a smile most of the time… what had happened? Haruka felt a phantom sense of loss from watching the video. He didn't wish that the past Rin was this Rin or anything because he felt the same when confronted with both of them. But, what happened to make him like how he is now? So withdrawn…

"What…What happened to Rin-chan?" Nagisa asked Gou-san who looked at her phone a bit tenderly. She turned to the others and sighed.

"I don't really know. All I know was that he came back from Australia, let me hug him and stuff… but he didn't seem really into it and when I looked at him, Onii-chan seemed really sad. He didn't really talk to anyone and he didn't join any swimming clubs when he came back. I asked him about it and he shrugged and said he wasn't interested in swimming anymore. That he just didn't like it." Something gripped Haruka's heart and twisted it painfully. He instantly knew the other was lying though he didn't even hear him say it himself. He saw how Rin looked at the pool… he wanted to swim again. He really wanted to… so what's holding him back? "Recently though… he's been better. A lot better really. That's why I was so surprised and happy when you said he was running again…"

Haruka suddenly felt something… he felt something building in his chest when he thought of the two Rins… he weirdly… he weirdly wanted to help him. "I… I…" He said in a soft but resolute voice that caught everyone's attention. Haruka squeezed his fists as he huffed and looked up at everyone, "I want Matsuoka to join the team."

"….EH?!" Everyone yelled as they stared at Haruka, the guy who only lived for water, the one who didn't like to do anything that required too much effort… the one who also happened to be the closest thing Matsuoka had to a friend wanted him to join the team. He looked utterly serious about it and his eyes told volumes on that while they stared resolutely at everyone, daring someone to object. It was like someone was telling Haru not to swim, he looked so dead set on it. Gou looked at Haruka-senpai and squinted a bit when she saw the undeniable passion that he tried to hide. Gou's own eyes widened and she smiled softly, happy her Onii-chan had such a dedicated friend even if it was out of character for Haruka-senpai. Somehow… that made it all the sweeter for her.

"You heard Haruka-senpai… let's have Onii-chan join the swim team," Gou said resolutely and she leaned on the railing that was behind her with a thoughtful face. Sighing, she looked at the other as if for suggestions, "Onii-chan is a bit stubborn so once he's made up his mind about something then he doesn't usually like to change it. So how are we going to get Onii-chan to do this… well what's something he can't say no to… ah! A race! Onii-chan is really competitive! So he'll race you if you provoke him enough. But, who should race him…" She placed a hand on her chin in thought.

Her Onii-chan is really good at swimming and Gou never cut corners with the truth unless it was for a cause. Even though Rei swims the same form as he does, Onii-chan would blow him out the water… Nagisa and Makoto… well Onii-chan might actually qualify to beat them too because even though Onii-chan quit swimming… there was a reason he was accepted into that prestigious swimming school in Australia. He was a genius they said… and the only genius they had… but Haruka-senpai would never agree to do it! He'd say something like—

"I'll race him," Haruka volunteered with a stubborn expression as if he absolutely wasn't going to budge on this decision no matter what. The entire team gave him the same stare as if they were all wondering what happened to their Haruka. Before he knew it, Nagisa slapped a hand over his forehead with a slightly concerned look on his face.

"He… doesn't seem to be feverish…" He said a bit nervously as Haruka slapped his hand away nonchalantly. Nagisa then proceeded to poke around by his lips and neck and eyes, checking for any sort of feverish symptom but when the other seemed to be in perfect health, Nagisa staggered back a few steps. "But… It couldn't be that… Haru-chan wants to help someone… and use effort?!" He yelled, honestly confused as he looked at the quiet male.

"I'm racing him. That's all," Haruka said and walked casually down the stairs as if he hadn't just debased his entire character in front of them. Everyone stared at him while he walked calmly away until Makoto realized that he'd just abandoned his spot to walk with Haru because of shock and an extreme shot of anger. That idiot… why did Haru want to swim for him of all people? What about Makoto? What that time when they were on the beach… and they'd almost… Makoto sighed and gripped his hair. What a mistake he'd made then. Just as he was about to lay it out on the table for Haru, his heart had faltered and he backtracked, saying he only wanted to swim with Haru. Haru had looked amazed nonetheless but… but here comes another guy and he wants to swim with him, even if it's against him. Haru wanted to help Matsuoka and he detested it. Makoto snapped out of his shock and ran after Haru. Maybe he could talk some sense into him.

"Haru! Haru!" He called out to the other as he came bounding up to him, panting, "Are… Are you sure you made the right choice? To… To race Matsuoka that is. Why not Nagisa or me or—"

"Because we'd lose." Haru interrupted in such a simple, matter-of-fact tone that Makoto almost stumbled from the offensiveness of that statement. He wasn't so much angry at Haru for saying such a thing but he hated the idea that Haru genuinely thought he'd lose to that redheaded idiot. But then again if he did lose than whatever the other was planning might not work and Matsuoka wouldn't be able to swim with Haru again. He was fine with Nagisa and Rei because they were no threat to him—in fact they were already together with each other so there was no reason to worry about them. But Matsuoka was absolutely a threat. He wanted to stop the race by all means but he knew when Haru had that face he had on now, he was going to get his way no matter what. The only way he'd be able to stop the race was to hurt Haru and he absolutely couldn't do that. He didn't even really want to hurt Matsuoka because what if Haru felt sorry for him and went to check on him—another thing that couldn't happen.

Makoto sighed in defeat and turned to Haru with strained politeness, "Haru, then… if you don't mind me asking, why do you want Matsuoka to join the team?" They already had Rei, Matsuoka would make things odd again. He looked at Haru while Haru stared in front of him but he could see the glassiness in his eyes. What was he thinking now?

_Why do I want Rin to join the team? Yes he's good at swimming and would be a valuable addition to the team… but honestly I didn't care much about that. I only like swimming free… to be one with the water and to be held in that cool embrace yet here I am, planning on swimming for that nuisance. Why?_ His mind flashed to the video, those wide, red eyes that were so full of happiness and light… he's never seen Rin's eyes look like that except… except when he watched him swim. _'Watching you… made me want to swim…'_ He sighed and looked to the ground as the reason hit him. _Ah… that's right. That must be it. I want to hear that laugh again… I want..._ "I want to see… what he looks like when he's smiling again. And he only ever does that when swimming is involved… call it curiosity," Haruka said quietly, sighing as he became peaceful with his reasons. Though they sounded a bit sappy to him, it was the only way he'd truly be free. When the other was laughing and happy again, he'd quit bothering with him and he could have a normal relationship with him. He just hoped Makoto wouldn't say anything about it.

True to his wishes, Makoto said nothing as he boiled in the pits of building jealousy and rage because of Haru. His eyes had never shone brighter than when he said that reason.

The next swim practice, Rin "slept" in the same position he always slept in, facing towards the pool as he secretly watched Haruka swim. However, this time Haruka wasn't just swimming to swim. He was warming up and making sure the other's eyes were on him as he dipped in the water and swirled beneath the buoys before doing a few smooth laps. As usual he felt the other's piercing stare nail him in the back before he rose from the pool, a plan in mind for the redhead who looked a bit surprised at being approached. He still shamelessly pretended to be asleep, irking Haruka to no end while his face remained completely smooth. There was an aura of irritation around the raven as he stopped right in front of the other and crouched to his level. _Today is the day I become free…_

"Oi, Matsuoka," He said, staring as the other opened his eyes slowly in acknowledgment before crying out in surprise that the other came so close. He scrambled back a few inches and sat up, facing the raven teen who had an utterly serious look on his face.

"N-Nanase what do y-you want?" He stuttered, obviously still shaken for the other startling him not too long ago. Haruka stood up and looked down at him, still completely serious, though he didn't feel bad for unsettling the other. How does he think he felt when he just gazed at him for hours on end, interrupting his swimming? He felt no guilt whatsoever at the other's discomfort, "What the hell, Nanas—"

Haruka threw a swim cap and a pair of goggles at him, the former black and the latter red as he assumed the other's taste was so. They struck an angry redhead in the face and just as he jumped up, his teeth bared in a tell-tale sign of impatience and anger, he said, "Race me."

Rin's anger died with the shock to his system produced by the impatient raven who had dealt with him long enough. Although, interestingly enough when he said those two words that seemed almost harmless, the other seemed to brighten and his eyes shone with anticipation. His hands even twitched, as if he really wanted to give in but was resisting. Haruka thought the other would say yes instantly but instead he shook his head and sat back down, "Don't wanna. I quit swimming remember?"

Haruka huffed and leaned over him with a stubborn look in his eyes, "Race me." He said it so seriously that it was hard not to give in to the voice that sounded like he was perfectly confident he'd get his way. The redhead shivered and glared at Haruka who did nothing but stare at him, his blue eyes never-ending and penetrating. Haruka had to make sure the redhead raced him, or else he'd never be free. Rin would just continue to grip and feed on his entire existence until he couldn't do anything without thinking of him.

"No," Came Rin's firm reply, "Look, I don't even have a proper swimsuit so it wouldn't be a fa—"

"Onii-chan! I have your old jammers here!" Gou held up a pair of professional grade jammers that were black and red with some kind of fabric that was on the inner thigh that Haruka wasn't familiar with. They were long too, the type to encase your entire lower body. Haruka couldn't help but imagine what they would look like on Rin's long legs, hugging them almost to the point where there was nothing to the imagination… Haruka shook his head. Sometimes curiosity got too much of the better of him. It was best to put that image away and focus on Rin's utterly shocked expression.

"You… You planned this, d-didn't yo—"

"I want to race you. Well, in reality I have ulterior motives to this race," Haruka said easily, looking at the other's wide-eyed expression. Rin had to get on the team, he couldn't be so close to him and as backwards as it sounded, putting him on his team seemed like the only way. Rin's shoulders shook a bit in his anger as he clenched his fists.

"Oh? What are these motives?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If I win… you join the swim team," The ferocious smirk on Rin's face died again and he unclenched his fists. He looked honestly surprised that it was him making him this deal and turned away with reddening cheeks.

"I said I qui—"

"I don't care. I want you to swim on the team… and if you win you can do whatever you want," Haruka said before stretching out his hand to help the other up. Rin looked at the hand dubiously, as if afraid it would attack him, before closing his eyes with a sigh and taking the other's hand. He pulled himself up and glared at him in a challenging way, not letting go of his hand but yanking him forward unexpectedly until they were almost nose to nose.

"Nanase, you win this round. I'll race you… but don't think you can just go around doing whatever you want, got it?" Haruka frowned slightly in his irritation. Just who was doing whatever he wanted? Sometimes he felt as if Rin was just toying with him and purposefully bothering him just to garner a reaction.

"I got it. Don't cry when you lose, neko-chan," Rin glared a bit harder and tsked, letting go of his hand and stalking towards Gou, in his heatedness he pulled his shirt up and off, revealing skin… endless, tanned skin that shifted over the rippling, lean muscles in his back. Haruka's eyes widened, to think that he thought this guy was not athletic before... it seemed almost ridiculous. He had an obvious swimmers body. Lean with broad shoulders and a body that got more slender as you looked down. Haruka knew he'd have his work cut out for him with the strength that guy had.

The other team members seemed to think the same thing until Gou squealed and hugged her brother tightly, much to his shock and embarrassment. Her face grew a dreamy look as she nuzzled her face against his muscular side and said, "Onii-chan! When did you get these? Wah! Your muscles are perfect, perfect, perfect!" She squealed, squeezing him as he growled and took the swimsuit from her.

"Gou! Q-Quit it! I told you I'd be bigger when I came back, did you just think I was a beanstalk?" He grumbled, pushing her shoulder lightly until she let go and he ran into the locker rooms quickly. Haruka blinked at the display and shook his head, stretching out a bit until the other returned, clad in the skintight swimsuit and he stretched with him for a bit until they decided it was time to start.

"Alright, let's do this Nanase," He said in an impassive tone while he put his swimcap on and his goggles, tugging the rubber hold a bit farther back than necessary before letting it snap back into place. Haruka thought as he put on his own swimcap and goggles, what a strange habit. They set themselves up on the diving boards and got into position, the efficient way Rin got into his showing the effects of the swimming school in Australia. Makoto set up the time and said,

"Alright… on your mark… get set…" They both coiled in anticipation for the leap that they'd take, "Go!" They launched from the diving boards, muscles springing and curling in an effort to make the cleanest form and though Haruka couldn't see anything in his funnel like vision—which was the product of his secured goggles—except the clear pool water waiting to embrace him… Haruka could strangely feel the other's presence next to him. It was strong… bright even and he could barely keep his focus long enough to slice through the water and begin his flurry of kicks and smoothed strokes to catch up with Rin, whose strong kick landed him a full foot ahead.

Strangely though when he met the water the other was in… a weird sense of electricity pulsed through him, running through his entire being as his clean-cut strokes met up with Rin's aggressive ones. Every stroke the other took, Haruka felt like he could feel it definitely. He thought that, had anyone asked, he could pinpoint Rin's exact location within the pool. It was like when Rin watched him but different… instead of antagonizing him, Rin's enduring presence next to him as they flipped and turned for their first lap built something in his chest. It burned and made his brow furrow as his limbs struggled to go even faster than his usual leisurely stroke.

He wasn't focusing on the water anymore, his mind was more concentrated than he's ever felt and he felt himself accelerating to pass Rin once more though he once again pushed ahead because of his kick. The aggressive presence next to him made his heart throb, his pulse pounded in his neck and the water rushed through his ears. He couldn't shake the other no matter how hard he tried. While other's would've lagged by now, Rin was keeping up with him and more, he even sometimes passed him. But then a white hot spark would flame higher in his own chest and he'd think: No, I won't lose. Rin will join the swim team so I can't lose.

His muscles burned with his unusual exertion and on the last spurt he pushed with all of his might as did the other next to him. What was this feeling? It sang in his chest as they ripped through the resistant water with their will and torpedoed ahead, reaching out as far as they could stretch. What was this? It was… blissful, like he was drowning in ecstasy. Haruka glared through the water ahead, able to see the finish, able to feel Rin, the water, everything in the moment felt as if it were faded to black yet completely vibrant and when his hand made a resounding smack against the wall, he knew he'd won but only by a small margin.

He gasped as he rose from the white-foamed waves, panting heavily to relieve the abnormal feeling surging through him, his heart throbbing and his body humming in… what was that feeling? He ripped his swimcap off as well as his goggles, not even bothering to shake his hair out and letting it drip from the tips that had come together due to its wetness. He looked at his reflection in the water as if he expected to see someone different there. His eyes blinked and scanned the image before him with interest. Had his eyes… always been that blue? That clear and intense shade he was looking at? He tentatively looked to Rin only to discover he was staring at him with flushed cheeks and heavy breaths. Did he feel that too? What was…

"Mou, I lost… I'll join the damn team but Nanase… I won't let you get away with that win," Haruka stared into Rin's eyes and was awed at the pure and raw emotion that was in them. He discovered exactly what it was that he'd been feeling—it was passion. Pure and raw, he felt shivers rack up and down his spine at the fire that raged in the other's eyes. He almost felt as if he would burn from the other's glower, "Tch, I'll definitely get better. Definitely. Then I'll challenge you again and crush you."

Haruka's eyes widened at the pure conviction he had in his voice as if he absolutely knew that this was what was going to happen. He found himself uncharacteristically rolling his eyes, "Right neko-boy. You weren't bad… but you'll have to work a lot harder than that to beat me. Try your best." Wait what? Haruka didn't care about times… about winning. He only adored the feel of the water against his skin. Why was he goading the other? He didn't want to race him…right?

Rin growled and clenched his fists together with an irate expression, "I… I don't need you to tell me that. Idiot." He huffed and put his goggles and swimcap back on, kicking off again in what seemed to be like immediate practice. Haruka stared for a moment, feeling an urge so intense to swim again that he put his own gear back on and began to do his laps as well, falling into a weirdly natural pattern with the indignant boy beside him. Haruka honestly couldn't help but think, I really want to swim with him again…

Although the teens below seemed to sort out their opposition, there was nothing to be said for the members above. Nagisa, Rei, Makoto and Gou stared at the practicing boys with nothing short of awe on their face. The small blonde was the first to break the silence with an excited yell, "A…Amazing! They were so fast! I've never seen a race like that before! If Haru-chan is like a dolphin in the water then Rin-chan… Rin-chan must be a shark! They were so cool!" He gushed, his heart racing from the incredibly close race that had landed times in the thousandths place, breaking even Haru's previous best. Nagisa ran to the pool, restless from seeing such amazing swimming and vowing that he'd swim with those guys too and wow them. He jumped in without abandon and laughed as he began swimming.

Rei, who usually would go after Nagisa was stunned to the spot. He hadn't known Haruka-senpai for long, just a bit over half of a year really. Though he knew a few things about him. He knew that Haruka-senpai was an exquisite swimmer and managed to make the water sport that he'd once looked at with contempt due to its hideousness look gorgeous. The way Haruka-senpai swam was even enough to inspire him to join the team with his fluid and natural strokes, the clean way he glided through the water as if he were made to be there… but at the same time he knew that one of the teen's favorite quotes was, 'That takes too much effort,' yet when he swam with Matsuoka… he had never seen his strokes look more beautiful. Rather than having the cool beauty it usually had, this time it was intense… it was passionate, fervent even. He'd never seen Haruka-senpai swim with such fervor before and the pure effort he put into it wasn't natural however he knew that it wasn't something he could be taught. Haruka-senpai almost looked… inspired. He's never seen such impassioned eyes on him except for when he stared at the pool but this time he knew that the pool had nearly nothing to do with that light that shone in those blue irises.

Gou monitored her team closely and was in awe at the progress they seemed to have made. Since that time her Onii-chan and Haruka-senpai had only been getting better and better though it had only been two weeks since Onii-chan had joined. It seemed like Onii-chan brought fire into their team where before it wasn't unprofessional and relaxed but with him here, a fire seemed to be lit during practice. She knew for a fact that whatever he Onii-chan did was usually done with a flourish, with passion and power. Of course he brought that factor into his swimming, pushing himself to the limit with terrifyingly predatory eyes that were hungry. He was starving for swimming and that showed as he blasted his times down one by one, steadily getting better, stronger, faster… But the same thing couldn't be excused from Haruka-senpai. If anything, he was growing just as fast as Onii-chan. When he put more power into his strokes, Haruka-senpai put more power in, when he got more intense, so did Haruka-senpai. It seemed as if they were constantly competing against each other, if not more directly than when they were racing.

While Haruka-senpai wasn't concerned with his times, he listened with rapt attention that not even he could disguise when Onii-chan was mentioned. When Onii-chan heard that he tore down yet another time, he grinned and turned to Haruka-senpai as if to say, 'ha, top that!' and sometimes those words even made their way out of his throat. Though Haruka-senpai always ignored him, as if goading a reaction out of him which was nearly always irritation, though she knew that Haruka-senpai was impressed as he always turned toward Onii-chan after he huffed in annoyance and swam away. He also seemed to swim even more flawlessly when he heard news like that, as if feeling the need to impress Onii-chan too. She gave her attention to the others, who also improved their times—even Rei—but it couldn't be denied that those two seemed to almost revolve around each other, pushing to be better and dragging the other with him. It was beautiful to watch—her Onii-chan getting back on his feet with a new challenge in front of him.

After todays practice, Haruka watched as Rin rose from his lane after swimming a few extra laps, stretching and ripping his equipment off with a satisfied smirk. As if he could tell that he was looking, Rin turn to look at Haruka and had an almost expectant look on his face, his eyes shining in what seemed to be anticipation. Though when Haruka caught sight of that, he instantly looked away, not able to keep contact for so long when he had that expression on. Haruka always liked to compare it to little kid, looking to his parents for praise but he knew if he gave Rin that every time then the other would get spoiled and cocky. Besides that, it was just too embarrassing to do such things all the time. He heard the familiar huff of the disappointed redhead and resisted smirking in his amusement.

Rin stormed in the locker room and showered, getting out to put his track clothes on again. Haruka raised an eyebrow at this, "Matsuoka, you're running home again?" He asked and felt a slight twinge in his stomach, wondering if the other was training a bit too hard. After all, he'd beaten another time today and was steadily progressing, why did he keep pushing it? He was going to get hurt. Though there was no emotion in his voice or face, Rin answered with a cocky laugh,

"What? You're worried?" Haruka flinched and huffed in indignation. What a joke. Of course he wasn't worried, but he didn't want the other to get hurt either. That was different from worrying over him. But, if he wanted to get sick or pull something as he tried to "push himself to the limit" he would just leave him.

"I'm not worried. But don't you think you're overdoing it?" he asked, scolding himself afterwards. That definitely sounded worried, almost Makoto-like. He watched Rin stretch again and tie his hair in a ponytail so his hair didn't get in his way. Rin barely slid his gaze over to him before exiting the locker room, making Haruka stiffen in his irritation. "Jerk," He said lowly, tugging his clothes on quickly trying to look like he wasn't hurrying, and went after him. The rest of his team was surprised at his sudden exit and decided to go after them when the curiosity became too much.

"Oi, Nanase," Rin said as he huffed and turned with a slightly irate look on his face. He stretched his arms behind his head in a casual pose while he looked at the others who were in front of him. Haruka waited, an emotionless look on his face while his eyes shone in the same anticipation that Rin had not so long ago, "quit trying to stop me from training alright? I know my limits and I won't pull anything. I'm not that incompetent you know." Haruka's eyes narrowed slightly,

"I'm not saying that. Why would you even want to push this hard anyway? Isn't it better to go at your own pa—"

"No. It's… It's not. If I go at my own pace, I'll never improve. Like I said before, I-I want to crush you in a race. But… it's a bit more than that now. I've actually had… w-well I've had a lot of f-fun swimming again. Before I was going at my own pace… and I said I'd quit swimming even though I love it. But because you pushed me past what I was comfortable with… all of you guys… I was able to do it again. S-So… In return I want to make your choice to recruit me valid and be a valued member. Just watch. When you swim with me… I'll show you a sight you've never seen before," He grinned a sharkish grin as the wind blew and rustled his clothes and hair, his smile glinted though it was cloudy that day. Haruka's eyes widened and he felt his heart throb in his chest as he almost thought he could see that scrawny redheaded boy in front of them, spouting about his dream to be an Olympic swimmer. _Rin's smile… that's what it looks like huh? There wasn't a single trace of sadness there… how beautiful._


	10. The Evil Side of Haruka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters for ya!

Makoto was in a horrid mood. Actually he's been in a horrid mood for a while now, though he didn't think it showed on his face that he kept carefully cheerful so as not to make anyone suspicious. He hated lying to his friends or pretending around them but then again he couldn't exactly tell them what was wrong with him. No they would never understand that. Why? Because it wasn't something simple like Haru-chan jumping into every basin of water he sees or him stressing because of schoolwork. It was about a member of the team. A certain new member who seemed to have surpassed all of his expectations so far and gained everyone's approval. Although he wasn't too upset about that in itself, it was the problem that went with such a thing. Before, when Matsuoka and Haru became friends, it was much more difficult for them to actually meet up in public because Haru didn't want Matsuoka to be accused because of his misunderstood relationship—although they seemed to have gotten closer than he'd ever imagined behind his back anyway. However, now everyone seems to have accepted the redhead and in turn his strange relationship with Haru so now they were closer than ever!

They talked during class, they texted, Haru even got him to sit with everyone else! It was utterly infuriating. Makoto just wanted to pull his fucking hair out. The way Haru stuck to that nuisance was sickening and the way he let Matsuoka follow him like a lost puppy drove him crazy. By now it was almost impossible. He couldn't drive them away from each other because the other would come chasing right after. Haru's vision was widening but at the same time it was closing, honing in on the irritating redhead who asked for a race almost every time they met. Haru has been in better moods and almost eager to get out of the house and he figured that was because they almost always saw Matsuoka jogging to school and Haru messed with him, texting him or pretending to ignore him to catch the redhead's attention. It was like they were a flirty new couple or something!

Makoto never could get it out of his mind how drastically Haru changed when he was around Matsuoka. He always poked fun at him, messed with him, flustered him… but he looked so happy and amused doing it. He's never been like that with Makoto. He's never teased him when he came to school with bedhead, he never made him blush by letting him get too close and just staring at him in response and he never hit him or flicked him or kicked him. Though it sounded masochistic, it was almost like when Haru did such things, he did them with fondness and he never did them too hard as well as he looked amused when Matsuoka did anything back. And the damned redhead had the nerve to complain about it! Haru showed more emotion and teased him more than he's ever done to anyone in his entire life! Makoto would love to be in his place! That showed just how ungrateful he was and solidified Makoto's resolve to get in between them.

Haruka took his regular spot next to Rin and took his bento out while the redhead next to him sat in a casual cross-legged position and stared at the sky distractedly. He admired the way the other's red locks would fly back in the wind or the way his crimson eyes caught the light and lit up warmly or how his golden skin would soak the sun's kisses. Rin was really beautiful, Haruka knew this ever since he ran into him on the bonding day at the restaurant. However, he'd come to the realization that just because he was an artist and tended to beautify things… it didn't mean that they weren't genuinely beautiful. That's what Rin—who hummed with energy even as he sat and relaxed, who smiled only once in a while but managed to blind you each time—was. He'd given weigh to the fact that he just couldn't take his eyes off the other teen. Though he did try to be as discreet about it as possible, unless they were alone. Somehow he liked Rin much more when he was flustered and attempting to shoo away his pensive stare.

However, today he seemed to be tired. He hadn't said anything to him unless Haruka provoked him and even then he barely gave into that. He looked uncomfortable during class and was lethargic with his notes as his eyes blinked more and more, the intervals between blinks shrinking. He looked as if he wanted to sleep as he stared blearily at the sky, it worried Haruka—not that he'd ever let that come to light. Rin was usually never this subdued and yesterday as he shoveled down his food, he never seemed as if he were sick. _Did he catch it on the way home? Does he have a fever or something?_ Haruka huffed at the idiotic questions that were going through his mind. Being around the other was beginning to make him an embarrassing person. Turning toward him, he opened his mouth to say something when a loud growl was heard beside him. Haruka's eyes widened slightly as the conversation fell at the sitting place while Rin was startled into awareness, holding his hissing and protesting stomach as he blushed bright red.

"Rin-chan…are you hungry?" Nagisa asked with a chuckle, cocking his head to the side as he looked at the embarrassed teen who grew even redder. Rin stiffened a bit more and glowered at him as if to say, 'You idiot! Don't point it out!' Instead, he just shook his head solemnly, sitting up a bit taller as if he had something to be prideful of. Haruka looked at him with a barely raised eyebrow, completely unimpressed with his bad acting. The raven honestly thought the redhead was being a bit ridiculous.

"No. I'm fi—" he was cut off by the piteous rumble of his stomach under his palms that caught him red-handed. He flushed a bit brighter, cursing under his breath like a madman, and Haruka sighed, damning that idiot's pride. How much pride can one have to even refuse his body? He was obviously starving by the way his stomach had no qualms about growling. How was he supposed to have the energy to swim against him if he didn't eat? Suddenly Haruka's eyes widened a fraction as if he'd just discovered something that had been right in front of his face. It all clicked into place when he thought of it. Why he was so tired, fatigued… he was just hungry. Though why he wouldn't admit it was beyond him. He looked at the other as if he were an idiot and shook his head slowly.

"You're an idiot," He said without doubts while he speared a piece of his lunch and stuck a fleshy piece of mackerel in his mouth. Rin looked affronted and turned to him, leaning toward him with his signature angry kitten face. Haruka just stared at him with his own patented bored face as he could just tell what the other was thinking with that face on. It probably went something like: This bastard, I'm not hungry at all! He's such a jerk! Though he had to wonder, why _didn't_ Rin have his own lunch? He had a good appetite considering how he usually ate and how he could stomach the heavy meat that he oh so enjoyed so it couldn't be that he got full easily. Plus he always went on about how athletes should eat properly… It was a complete mystery to him really. When he thought about it, Gou had her own lunch as well… and he had a job so then why didn't he just get himself lunch with that?

"Don't call me that! I'm not an idiot Nanase! I just said I'm not hungry who are you to tell me I am?" He asked bitterly though his eye twitched when a faint grumble came from his muffled stomach. Haruka said nothing to this but instead turned and leaned just an inch closer, startling the boy in front of him into jerking his head back. Satisfied with the other's simplicity for the moment, he cocked his head and leaned back a bit.

"Why don't you have a lunch anyway?" He asked, popping another piece of mackerel in as Rin tried to keep his eyes off of his lunch. He knew the other would need something to eat after this and unlike him, he was usually satisfied with little. He'd help him out, but only if he cooperated with his questions. It really made no sense for him not to have a lunch… Rin however, looked a bit stunned at the question and turned away with a stubborn look on his face. So it was like that huh? Then Haruka wouldn't feel too bad about playing with his neko a bit. Pets needed to be honest with their owners or else they wouldn't be able to take care of them. He lifted a piece of mackerel from his bento and faced it toward Rin, who gulped quietly and looked determinedly away, "If you tell me why, I'll give you some."

Rin perked up a bit and squirmed under the pressure of his stare and his offer, a light sheen of sweat beginning to form on his brow. "Er… nn… ugh! F-Fine, but… but it's not like I want th-the stupid mackerel a-a-anyway. I'm just choosing to s-satisfy your curiosity," he huffed and turned back to him while Haruka said nothing though inwardly rolled his eyes. This guy was stubborn to the very end. Naught kitty. "I… can't cook," He said with a sigh as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms. Haruka waited as if there were more to the story than that but as the pause after the explanation stretched and Rin's cheeks grew rosy, he realized that really was all there was to it.

"But… you have a job—"

"I don't just have a job for nothing, I use that money to buy food for the house and other expenses and Gou makes her own lunches," He explained quickly, glaring at him and huffing. Haruka's eyes lingered on the redhead in an unbelieving way though he had no expression.

"Um… Rin-san… then why don't you just have Gou make lunch for you then?" Rei asked with a confused look and Rin jerked as if he'd insulted his mother. Turning to the other with a fierce glare, he growled in an irritated voice.

"Do I look like some crippled, old lady to you? Do you really think I can stand it if my baby sister takes care of me? How idiotic, I do have pride you know!" He hissed at the cowering Rei and Haruka stared at him, not saying anything as he realized the other's reasons for not eating. But… why did he have to spend his money on housing expenses. Gou didn't live alone before Rin came back so what was going on?

"What about your parents? Don't they say anything about you not eating?" Suddenly… it was quiet. Rin's figure paled even more and he seemed to deflate a bit, his eye dimming in a frightening way that Haruka had before deemed normal. Now he knew better and this kind of face on Rin was very disturbing to him. It was as if Haruka had pressed some sort of button inside of him and Rin's liveliness died and a faintly bitter expression crept on his unsuspecting face. His eyes lowered a bit and he was quiet for a moment. The others looked shocked at his sudden silence as well.

"N…No… I suppose they… don't," He said softly in that voice that honestly made Haruka very nervous. He didn't know what just happened, Rin was being his usual idiot self and… and suddenly he just went back to how he was before. It was as if he'd regressed a bit into the shell he was in when he had met him. Fear gripped Haruka's heart with a cruel hand as he watched the transformation. He couldn't let this happen, he just couldn't… he had to stop this while it was still in its tracks. But how… Haruka looked at the mackerel in his hand and back to the other before an idea popped into his mind. He reached out and grabbed Rin's chin, jerking it so their eyes met. Dull burgundy met deep azure and he could see that he'd surprised Rin a bit with his strange actions but he still hadn't gone back. He still looked closed off, staring away from him with a light frown. So with recovering Rin's liveliness in mind, wordlessly, Haruka took the pad of his thumb and skimmed it gently over the silky smooth skin of his full lower lip. Haruka almost lost focus at the surprise of how soft it was and ran his thumb over the seam of his lips slowly with intent eyes, pressing against them lightly.

He caught Rin's full attention with this prodding and a bit of color came back in his face as he attempted to keep his mouth as closed as possible but at his insistent stroking, Rin squeezed his eyes closed. He only peeked them open briefly to see if Haruka was through with his embarrassing acts though he only tugged lightly with his nail on the plump lower lip he was messing with. He saw that Rin was definitely thinking of other things then whatever had gotten him depressed and Haruka was honestly glad for that but to also see that frustrated and embarrassed face he made just because Haruka playing with him a little, he felt like he was asking to be bullied, "Matsuoka… say ahhn…" He said only to be welcomed with shocked silence both from Rin and from his companions beside him. Though his single-minded gaze was on Rin and saw that the lips before him were not cooperating and he looked up only to see Rin with a bright red blush, trying not to yell for fear that Haruka would do something else. Instead he only shook his head in his grip, not able to turn it much to get away though he squirmed fruitlessly regardless. Haruka thought his blatant embarrassment was kind of cute, like a neko who got angry when you coddled them too much but had no real power to overthrow you, "Come now, you've got to eat something or I won't let you practice," He said with a softer than normal voice, his blue eyes tenderly gazing at the redhead.

Rin's eyes grew as wide as saucers and then narrowed in complaint, "U-U…gh… th-that's not fair… give me the bento th-then!" Haruka raised an eyebrow before shaking his head, he was enjoying himself way too much at the moment to let him squirm away without doing this. He felt the other's lips tremble under his light strokes to coax open his mouth and a small, evil smile tugged at the edges of his lips.

"Nope. Not until you eat this first bite," He said, laying down his standard before the blushing redhead. He picked up the piece of mackerel and nudged it against the other's lips before pulling it back slightly, "You have to say 'ahhn' too or else I won't give it to you."

"N…Nanase…" Rin practically whimpered in his humiliation, Haruka could tell his pride was being stripped away in front of his teammates but he closed his eyes again and said the magic word, "A-Ahhn…" Haruka's own eyes widened a bit as the other actually conceded and did what he asked him to do. With his mouth open like that and his eyes closed, face frozen in utter humiliation, Haruka nearly laughed. He did as he said he would and fed the mackerel to the neko, who immediately devoured the fish, stole his bento and ran away from the group. Haruka thought the other was probably just going to sulk in private but that was extremely hilarious to him—and he got him to go back to being vibrant again, though it was a bit more literal than before.

Makoto heard his own chopsticks groan under the weight of his hand that clenched viciously at the thin, wooden sticks. What the hell… what the fuck! Why?! Why was Haru like this? Why was he being so cute and evil with that bastard? Why was he blatantly flirting with him? Were they a couple now? Did Matsuoka make his move on Haru while he wasn't looking? The sight of Haru touching the redhead like that… so tenderly, so gently… like he was cherishing just the gesture of being able to do such things and how Matsuoka just blushed like he was oh so innocent. There was no way Haru would do something this embarrassing on his own! It had to be some type of twisted blackmail that Matsuoka forced him into or something! He wanted someone to wake him up from this nightmare, he wanted Haru to turn and ignore Matsuoka and feed him instead. He was burning in jealousy as his heart ached at the sight of them together. The chopsticks almost yielded when he took a deep breath to calm himself. He couldn't show this side of himself to Haru. This ugly side… he'd wait until he got alone in his room to let jealousy rear its hideous head.

"H…Haru…chan?" Nagisa said before bursting out in laughter. His previous shock from the incident had obviously worn off and he suddenly found hilarity in the situation. Of course Haru-chan had been acting strange for the past few days and compared to what he was like before it was obvious that Nagisa would've been a bit startled. But that didn't mean he didn't like how Haru-chan was now. Though he was surprised that he didn't pick up on Haru-chan's sadistic streak before now, honestly with the way he teased Rin-chan it was plain as day. Although he thought that Rin-chan was quite cute when he blushed like that too—almost as cute as Rei-chan. He'd have to look into this a bit more on his own time because it only made sense. He was going to have a lot of fun playing with them with their strange relationship. A devilish smile danced lightly under his innocent one, frightening Rei-chan who knew this expression better than anyone.

* * *

Rin hadn't spoken to him for the rest of the day, still pissed and embarrassed at him for teasing him like that. Haruka let him sulk, thinking he was cute when he pouted—though the other would never admit to it. The other still notably came to tutoring and ate his cooking and even went to bed in his usual spot so Haruka figured the other couldn't be too upset with him. He was actually glad about that, he thought afterwards that he might have gone a bit too far but his face at that time had been priceless and each time he tried to feel regret, that face would come up and he felt like he absolutely made the right decision. It was out of his hands at this point anyway. He had his own question to worry about regardless and with the topic being discussed in front of him, he thought it was better for the usual loudmouth to keep quiet anyway.

Said irritating topic that had been rolling around in his head was the question: how will Rin eat lunch every day? It wasn't like he could do what he just did today every day—plus if he did that he wasn't sure that the other would just submit to him every time. That idiot neko had a way of being like that: completely unpredictable. But if he continued eating nothing it could be bad for his health, considering that he only really ate at his house. He covered his family well as Gou never mentioned any kind of discomfort with her living but as a side effect he's neglecting his own health and Haruka just couldn't let that happen. He wanted the other to be able to swim how he wanted to and he just couldn't do that with the diet he was on. He sighed, looking at the sleeping redhead below him. He remembered this afternoon compared to the first time he ever tried to touch Rin. He'd bitten him… but this afternoon, he was basically playing with fire and touched his lips—so close to the razor-like teeth that had nicked him before—but Rin let him touch as he pleased even before he knew what he had been doing.

 _Does that mean he likes me?_ Haruka leaned on the table, looking at the tall teen on the ground while he cuddled with his pillow. _He seems so peaceful… I wonder what this afternoon was about. He got so upset when I asked about his parents. But Gou never said anything about them when they were mentioned before so I just assumed they were regular parents._ Sighing, he got up and sat by the other's head, watching him for a moment and reaching out as a test. He gently took a piece of the others silken hair and played with it in between his fingers, waiting to get bitten only to see the other continue to lay there on the ground, breathing evenly and deeply. How innocent… he felt a twinge of guilt as he looked at the tired out teen before him. He really shouldn't have to go hungry should he? Maybe… maybe he could make him something too. Even if he complained about not liking mackerel, he always ate it anyway… it was decided. Haruka would take responsibility since there was no other way.

Letting the soft locks slip delicately through his fingers, he got up from his position and took the plates to the kitchen. He went to sleep a bit earlier than usual today considering that he needed enough time to make two bentos instead of one. He didn't dwell on the fact that he was voluntarily taking care of the brat downstairs, nor of the fact that he'd let him into yet another part of his life. He instead took care with thinking of all the things he'd made before and what Rin seemed to like the best. After coming up with a bento that he thought Rin would deem appetizing, he let himself drift to sleep, imagining how he'd actually get him to eat it.

For once when he woke and didn't see the other downstairs, he felt lucky. Something told him that if he tried to make an extra bento with him around, Rin would instantly catch on and fight him with all his might to get him not to make it and he really wouldn't want to have to deal with that so early. Instead he made the other a slightly spicy lunch with the side he had and of course put mackerel in the other's bento. His own was already made and he tied the twice as big package in a cloth, putting it by his things and going to take his bath. He'd finished just in time to be able to take his usual long bath and waited for Makoto to come get him. For some reason he felt a bit eager to go to school today. He wasn't fooling himself into thinking that the other would accept his kindness right off the bat, instead he amused himself into plotting how exactly to trick him into accepting it. Sinking into the tub, a small, unconscious smile played on his lips as he thought of his pet.

Makoto walked in at his usual time and traversed up the stairs to his usual fan service area, not even bothering to knock on the door as he came into the bathroom. However, Haru was sitting in the tub like he usually was—which was absolutely submerged—instead he was sitting up, his body a bit tense and his fingers tapping on his knees almost impatiently. "Um… Haru-chan…" Haru didn't respond to the other's call and continued to look at the water with unusually bright eyes. His heart sank and hardened. This was bad. He knew those eyes, the eyes that Haru had whenever he thought about _him_ or was anticipating something, though whenever he anticipated something nowadays it always had to do with him. The him being that nuisance Matsuoka. Scowling lightly, he gave into his jealousy and did something he rarely did when around Haru. He actually touched him. He needed to soothe this irritation before something happened and he took it out on Haru or something or became desperate and ruined everything. He needed to be reassured that although Haru was preoccupied with that guy, he hadn't touched him. Haru was still pure…

He took his index finger and trailed it lightly down his back, rounding over his smooth shoulder blade and circling to his side. Seeing no adverse reaction, he flattened his palm against the other's side and stroked up his bare skin, marveling at the softness of it. He could feel the other's delicate ribs shift under his skin as he breathed, feel his muscled abs and when he drew close to his chest, his finger brushed against a pert nipple that had hardened when it came in contact with the cool air. He knew this was a bad idea when he began but he just couldn't help himself. The other was so clean, so pale and perfect… those dark locks that splayed on his long neck were tantalizing and so were his pink lips… he just wanted to kiss him silly and make him forget about him. About Matsuoka, about anything except the guy who loved him that was right in front of him. His cheeks flushed a bit darkly and his devilish hand smoothed lower and lower until Haru's clear voice rang out in the bathroom.

"Makoto, what are you doing?" Haru said in a calm voice, looking up at Makoto with confusion. There was no anger at his inappropriate touching, there was no uncomfortableness nor did the other look comfortable… Makoto honestly didn't know what was worse in such a situation. He thought the other would at least look a bit bothered by it but it was as if he felt utterly nothing when he touched him. He was just confused but… why didn't he feel anything? He just clearly violated him! He even touched his nipple, what more of a signal do you need? How could he just reply so calmly as if this happened every day? Makoto almost never lost control like he did just then, he never did anything other than friendly gestures and now that he did this which was clearly not friendly—he was sure he was looking at him as if he were delicious too, how could he misinterpret that look! He even told Haru he was gay yet he just… he just… didn't feel wary… Did he not even think that he was the reason that he was gay?! Had it never crossed his mind to at least be wary of him? It was like he wasn't even unconsciously giving him a chance and had crossed him out completely!

But… what was he expecting? This was Haru, but… He remembered just a few weeks ago on the roof when Haru had pushed Matsuoka off of him. Or even when Matsuoka got too close and Haru didn't just accept it like when Nagisa or he got too close, he got a bit closer to him even and sometimes even ventured out to touch that idiot who would flinch back on his own. His reactions to when Matsuoka touched him… that's what he wanted. He wanted the other to get flustered, to get angry… to feel something when he touched him. He hated that he felt more when that redhead touched him than when someone who was clearly lusting after him did. He didn't even consider to look at him that way, as if he wasn't even an option. His hand fell from the other's skin and he felt that familiar negative feeling bubbling up inside of him that screamed in desperation that maybe if he worked harder, then Haru would be forced to see him in that light. If he made his touches a bit more intimate, if he made him squirm more… then he wouldn't just see that blank look when he touched him as if asking why he was doing something that didn't concern him.

He smiled at his plan and shook his head, sliding his hand to the other's strong bicep and tugging the other up and out of the tub gently, "Ah, sorry. Don't mind it…" Haru followed complacently and without complaint and he even let Makoto dry his hair for him but he seemed to get a tad bit impatient as he just left him afterwards to slip his clothes on. He fixed his breakfast and grabbed his things, leaving with Makoto who immediately noticed lunch. He blinked in shock at the size of it, it was twice as big as usual… but why? He knew how small the other's appetite was, that's why he hadn't packed on as much muscle as most of them did and was as slender as he was. He found his body enticing as it was so he didn't complain but the other all of a sudden gained such an appetite?

The distracted look in Haru's eyes told him that he wouldn't get an answer even if he wanted one at the moment and he just resigned to answer him later. Of course when he looked up, he saw that Haru had once again zeroed in on the redheaded runner who knew exactly how to avoid hitting Haru and him as they walked. He only could watch as Matsuoka turned back and waved a bit abashedly to Haru as his way of saying good morning and Haru almost eagerly waved back before watching him disappear down the road. He tried to keep smiling as the other's step got just a tad bit smoother after seeing him but it was hard. It was damn hard to keep smiling. He inwardly sighed and gently pushed a few strands of hair behind Haru's ear, delighting in the touch of the other's hair though the other didn't respond to his invisible touch in the slightest.

They made it to school and Makoto noticed that Haru was practically restless. Well as restless as Haru could be. It was like before when they had just installed the pool water and chlorinated it and Haru just stared at it for a long time before giving into his urges and jumping into the pool. He found it cute then but now that Haru's shining blue eyes were flickering impatiently to the Matsuoka who just ignored it at took notes, he couldn't help wanting to bash his head against his desk until he got the evil memory out of his head. Lunch approached and before Nagisa and Rei could come to demand that Haru once again sit with them, Haru stood from his seat and walked the short distance to the redhead's desk.

"Matsuoka," He said in that soft, tenor that made Makoto shiver in delight upon hearing it though it said the enemy's name. Said teen turned and faced Haru with confusion in his eyes as Haru stood right in front of his desk. He leaned back with a nonchalant look on his face, raising a bored eyebrow that literally made Makoto want to choke him. How dare he look at Haru-chan with such eyes, he should be enthralled that he was actually talking to him at all. Instead they had a silent stare off, both deaf to the world around them as Nagisa continuously tried to get their attention. Matsuoka seemed as if he were getting more and more irritated by the second.

"Wh…What Nanase? Don't just stare, you bastard!" He scolded though he was the first to look away. Makoto could practically see the satisfaction radiating from the other. "I'm still mad at you, you asshole. I don't wanna talk to you," Matsuoka said and Makoto felt a throb on his forehead that was thankfully hidden by his bangs as he couldn't believe that that asshole had the nerve to be angry because Haru had fed him—something that Makoto had dreamed of for several years now. Haru only looked at him, his eyes clearly amused as he took out his huge lunch and tapped his cheek. He gestured for the other to come with him and left the room. Makoto immediately followed him and found himself in their usual meeting place with Haru sitting on the floor, staring at the lunch. Suddenly Makoto's world bottomed out from him. No… No, it couldn't be… Not…Not that! Please not that!

Haruka heard the familiar aggressive pattern of footsteps that could only come from one Matsuoka Rin when he was pissed off. He heard the door to the rooftop slam open and silently tapped the spot next to him when he suddenly found the other side of him covered by Makoto. Since there were two spots he didn't feel anything about it and beckoned the redhead closer. Untying the cloth that surrounded the bentos, he felt the almost familiar buzz along his right side that told him that Rin was sitting close to him. The other always radiated such energy, he didn't find it hard to feel his presence next to him. Silently, he took the bento out and pushed it to the other's lap, staring at Rin who suddenly looked as if all the pieces clicked into place.

"Oh, hell no! I'm not about to accept some lame charity from you of all people Nanase! I didn't ask you to make this for me! You don't need to treat me like I'm fucking helpless!" He hissed, obviously angry with him. He shoved the bento back at him but Haruka noticed that the other took care not to spill even a grain of rice from the lunchbox. He turned with a huff and Haruka looked at his stiffened shoulders and flushed cheeks that hadn't cooled down yet. Rin was embarrassed. Haruka thought he might be since Rin just loved to be a lone shark. He probably hadn't gotten used to being voluntarily taken care of or accepting kindness. And he didn't really know but he assumed something bad must've happened before in Australia since he was like this. All he knew now was that he wouldn't let him be angry. He would make the other accept his gesture until he accepted.

Though he was glad that he'd been thinking of ways to get Rin to accept his lunch before. He thought of what Rin was weak against and he thought he'd go with persistence but he knew that that might take the entire lunch period. So instead he thought of the methods Gou-san went with. He thought that usually Gou-san whined and begged a bit, tugging on her brother's shirt to get him to acquiesce with whatever she wanted. But it wasn't just because he was her sister, Nagisa had done the same thing a few times, clinging onto Rin's back and pouting with a pleading face to play with him until Rin was bright red and Nagisa left him with a satisfied smirk. He assumed… that Rin was completely and utterly weak against cute things. Though he couldn't really imagine himself pouting and pleading so he went with the next best thing. Guilt.

Turning away from Rin, he clutched the bento close to his chest and looked down as if he were upset. "O-Oh… I see…" He said in his usually emotionless voice, the faint tremble there completely self-induced. It caught the attention of everyone at the sitting area, including a glace from Rin. He kept his smirk in check, things were going smoothly. "And after I… worked so hard to m-make it…" He said, that part not completely a lie. He'd adjusted his sleep just to make it and patiently made the lunch with care, thinking about the things that he was sure Rin would like. A small sigh escaped his lips and he felt the other stiffen behind him.

"O-Oi, Nanase… a-are you…" Rin asked, sounding actually concerned about him. His heart made a funny thud in his chest and he looked at the concrete as Rin got a bit closer, "Nanase…" Rin said so gently that a shiver barely shook him. Though Rin mistook it for a shiver of despair and was convinced that he was quite upset. He saw the other's shadow flail in the redhead's panic.

"I-It's fine… I shouldn't have troubled you with it," He said flatly, curling into himself a bit more until he felt Rin's warm hand on his shoulder blade and stiffened. Leaning actively away from the other's touch, he heard Rin's miffed sigh and felt arms wrap around his shoulders, the other's warm thighs brushed under his legs and his forehead fell on his shoulder. Haruka visibly stiffened and began to squirm, feeling his heart hammer against his ribs at feeling his warm chest and abs against his back. He could feel the other's warmth as if there were no barriers between them and he felt so off balance by that that he wanted to shove the other away and he would have done it, if only the other hadn't said,

"…Sorry… Nanase…" The apology was muffled by the other's lips pressing into his shoulder and the light feeling of the other's teeth scraping over his shoulder gave him goosebumps. He stopped resisting though and just let the furiously burning feelings wrestle within him until it was gone and Haruka found Rin hesitantly saying 'itadakimasu' as he had before. Haruka thought he might actually like it when Rin thanked him for such a thing. He was always so hesitant and soft when he said it that it almost sounded intimate, like he was sharing a part of his thoughts when he said that. Haruka's heart did not calm and he instead looked at his own lunchbox, his stomach suddenly full and fluttery. He felt again like he couldn't eat. And it was all because of the innocent redhead who was wolfing down his food as if it were the best thing he'd ever eaten.

"Aww! No fair, Haru-chan! I want you to make me a lunchbox too!" Nagisa said with a pouty face, looking quite put out, "Haru-chan always could cook the best out of all of us. Why does Rin-Rin get a lunchbox?" He briefly heard Rin choke on the piece of mackerel going down his throat at the name before he hissed at Nagisa to top calling him that. He didn't respond to the question. He was just feeding his pet. There was nothing more to it. It was only because that idiot couldn't care for himself. "Haru-chaaaan!"

"Guys!" Makoto's voice rang out on the rooftop, catching everyone's attention. It would seem that Makoto just blurted the phrase out without though but he quickly composed himself and smiled at them all, "It would seem like Matsuoka is quite close after these few weeks yeah? Maybe we should have a bonding night that includes him, like a welcoming thing," He finished and his idea was instantly received with a cheer from Nagisa.

"Yay! An initiation party for Rin-Rin! Let's do it! And it could be at Rin-Rin's house so Gou-kun can participate with us!" He said with an evil grin buried under a sweet smile. Rei was a bit nervous for the party but it didn't sound too bad to him. Rin-san was actually slipping into their group better than they'd thought before so a bonding night would be the perfect way to let bygones be bygones right? Though he seemed to feel a particularly acidic glare boring into him and Nagisa who took the brunt of it with a smile that couldn't disguise the way he paled.

"W…Well it doesn't sound too bad actually—" Rei began only to be cut off by a furious Rin who was prepared to fight for the sanctity of his own home though everyone else seemed to have accepted the fact that it was Rin's house that would be hosting all of them soon enough. Rin was panicked not to have them at all, who knows what they'd do to it and what if they went into Gou's room or something?

"Oi! Who are you assholes to be volunteering my house of all things?!" Rin growled, slamming his chopsticks down on the empty bento which Haruka wordlessly took back without him noticing. He couldn't have the other protesting about him washing his own bento boxes though he knew the other would be ashamed to have him wash them—though he couldn't phantom why, Haruka already cooked him dinner and washed his dishes every day. He just assumed this would be natural though he took great care to sneak the bento box back into the cloth.

"Aww! But, Rin-Rin wouldn't you feel bad if the manager doesn't get to be there at your initiation?" Rin stiffened and Haruka knew that Nagisa had effectively gotten him to concede into letting them bombard his home. He was silent about the entire thing though in reality, his interest had been caught as soon as they mentioned that Rin would be involved in said bonding night and had immediately accepted at the thought of going into Rin's home. He would get to ease his chronic curiosity a bit and he would get to play with his neko. It was a double win to him. Turning to Makoto, he nodded his head in agreement and turned when Makoto gave him a smile in return. Though if he had looked a bit harder, he might've saw the lack of humor around the edges of Makoto's smile, or the way he stared at him possessively. He might've known then that Makoto was planning on his capture.


	11. As Sleepovers Bring You Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay one more since I was a douche

Haruka huffed shortly as he lifted his decently sized duffle bag over his shoulder. It was already nighttime but he was fully dressed in the casual clothes he wore to go outside in. A black tank top under a loose, light-blue t-shirt adorned his top and his usual jean and gym shoe combo. He had on only a single bracelet and didn't bother to comb his hair as the water usually draped it into its usual messily neat style. Makoto leaned on the doorway downstairs to walk him over to Rin's house. Though his face didn't show it, he was actually rather tense. He would be going to Rin's house tonight and even sleeping over. He chose to believe that it was because he hadn't been to a sleep over in Kami-sama knows how long and it would be with Rin, who is a loose cannon at best. That was certainly why his heart thudded in his chest and certainly why he brought the pillow Rin always used with him.

He'd become quite attached to the fluffy object though. He didn't really know how, he supposed it was during one of those weekends where Rin was working and he had to clean his house. He spied the pillow sitting innocently on the floor and picked it up only to be hit by a strange yet intoxicating scent. He'd pulled the pillow slowly to his nose and hesitantly sniffed, feeling warmed by the smell of flowers—cherry blossoms he thought—sunlight if that made sense and the underlying tone of chlorine. Before he knew it half an hour went by with him just smelling the calming smell of Rin's hair and he separated himself from the pillow, feeling embarrassed but happy since he thought he might've found his favorite smell. From then on, he always used Rin's pillow to sleep on weekends.

With the pillow firmly under his armpit, he walked past Makoto but as the other caught up, he let him lead him to Rin's house. It was a decent sized space with a neatly cut lawn and a stone walkway that lead up to a single-stepped porch and a warm, brown, wooden door that had never before been so intimidating to Haruka. He huffed out a sigh, looking at the inanimate object. Why should he have to be nervous about imposing on Rin's household? Rin always imposed himself on him, it was about time he returned the favor—that damned brat. With this thought, Haruka confidently walked to the door and raised his hand to knock when he suddenly heard the loud laughter and small sigh that accompanied Nagisa and Rei. He heard Nagisa jump and squeal, "Wah! It's Haru-chan and Mako-chan!"

"Drop the –chan Nagisa," I said blandly as I went to knock on the door. After a few minutes the door finally made an unlocking sound and slid open, exposing a tall, redhead who looked resigned. Wordlessly he let us in and we walked through a small corridor where we left our shoes. Haruka had to admit, it was surprising to see Rin so casual—though this was his house. He dressed in baggy, green sweatpants and a loose, white, graphic t-shirt. His pants sagged so much that even though they clung for dear life on his slender hips, the tiniest strip of Rin's black boxers could be seen and he was wearing slippers with his hair in a mess. And to top it all off, a pair of black glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, making Haruka do a slight double-take. It wasn't what he expected but it didn't look bad, Haruka found it incredibly hard to take his eyes off the relaxed Rin in front of him.

Sighing, the redhead reluctantly took them to the living room where they saw Gou looming over homework in front of her, her hair in its usual ponytail and in a pair of matching pink short shorts and a pink top. Once she saw them, her frustrated face brightened and she waved enthusiastically. "Guys! You're here! What should we do first? I made sure to bring out all the movies we have and I even made Onii-chan teach me how to play a few videogames. I could order pi—" She made a move to get up but her head was met with her brother's large hand that pushed her back down.

"Oi, Gou. You really think you can get out of this? Finish your homework, I already said I'd help you," Rin said, sitting across from his pouting sister who whined at the boring task, "And you guys just sit anywhere. Start a movie or something, they're all over there." He pointed at the rather large cabinet of movies beside the large television and he got busy teaching Gou-san about logarithms. Haruka was a bit disconcerted to see what Rin tutoring looked like when he wasn't the one being tutored. Haruka had long before accepted the fact that Rin was good at teaching in his own way but the patient look on his face with the studious glasses as he sat in front of Gou-san… it almost made him wonder if Rin had always been this pretty when he taught him.

He was only aware that he was staring when his wrist was suddenly grabbed by the gentle, big hand that he associated with Makoto. Turning, he saw him smiling at him and thought how it was bit strange—how often Makoto touched him that it. It seemed like he always found a way to make some sort of physical contact with him these days. It wasn't that they never had familiar touches before but they seemed to be becoming more frequently within the day. A hand on his shoulder, a brush to his hair, a thumb skimming his jaw… he supposed it wasn't uncomfortable so he never said anything about it. He thought perhaps it was Makoto's way of expressing some kind of concern about them not being friendly enough even after all these years. So he let him tug his wrist toward him, "Haru-chan, what movie to you want to watch?"

He looked at all of the movie, seeing if any peaked his interest. To his surprise there were actually a lot that were about swimming or that were water based. He felt glad, considering that those were the only kind of movies that he could sit through for hours while he would usually be soaking in a tub. He dragged out a documentary about underwater creatures and the ocean, satisfied that this movie meant he could watch hours of water. He peeked over his shoulder back to Rin and Gou-san who looked like they were finished. Rin surprisingly had on a smile. It was different from the one that he'd seen just a while before. This one had a considerably proud light to it as he pat his sisters head so she wouldn't see it. His eye unmistakably took a warm air and Haruka found his breath hitching a bit at the sight of that. Though strangely Makoto's face appeared in front of him just a moment later.

"Ah, Haru-chan so that's what you wanted? I guess it really isn't a surprise considering how much you love water. I chose a water-based movie too," Makoto said, holding up the DVD to Free Willy. Haruka looked at the movie with interest and soon found that the others also chose movies based on water which he found ironic but he supposed it was because they were all swimmer. Although Rei's movie was a fantasy with mermaids and Nagisa's was a comedy. Haruka thought that the movies all might've fit with their personality a bit. Curious, Haruka turned to see Rin browsing through his selection though his eyes lingered on a single movie. Impulsively, Haruka leaned toward Rin and grabbed the movie he wanted to watch, dangling it in front of his face.

"You wanted to watch this right? You were looking at it for a while…" He looked up and locked eyes with a red-faced, embarrassed Rin who quickly snatched the movie out of his hand. Haruka was confused for a moment before he saw the pink and blue cover of what seemed to be a romance novel about love on the beach. Well… that was unexpected. But he was sure that Rin had been looking at it intently before. He didn't know what kind of movies he liked to watch but he certainly didn't expect it to be something romantic. He thought along the lines of action since the other seemed to be quite dramatic at times but he supposed the emotional rollercoaster of romance might fit his restless personality. The raven found such a discovery to be quite cute.

"A-Absolutely not, I don't l-l-like to watch th-these kinds of movies!" He shouted in an attempt to defend his pride but Haruka wouldn't have any of it. He was positive now that the other like romance movies and was about to make something to make his claim clear but instead Gou-san peeked over his shoulder and said,

"But, Onii-chan that's one of your favorite movies. You like roma—"

"Gou!" Rin cried out desperately, his red face flustered and pissed off. Haruka felt a small smile tug at his lips as he watched the pair. Rin saw this and burned an even brighter red color, "Tch, Nanase don't laugh at me!" He growled and glared at the azure-eyed boy who only leaned forward and easily plucked the small DVD from his hands that clenched over the container.

"Since you like it Matsuoka, we should watch it. It's your initiation party after all," He said smoothly though he really only wanted to fluster Rin a bit more by watching it. He'd have to see what he actually liked in such a movie with his tough-guy standards. Rin was a bit speechless at his comment and he took that as means for his victory. Getting up and stretching, he waltzed over to the DVD player and popped in the film. "Pizza?" Rin looked down with a flustered face but nodded. He felt a warm feeling spread over his chest at the obedient gesture and turned away from him only to see Makoto right in front of him with a smile.

"Haru-chan, what kind of pizza do you want?" He asked as he dialed the number for the pizza place. Haruka thought about it and he hated plain pizza… knowing Makoto they called their usual place where they order pizza so he would order his usual.

"Mackerel," He said plainly, turning to turn the television on while everyone settled back into where they wanted to sit. The living room was rather spacious to begin with so they had the option of sitting on the floor, the couch or the chair on the side. Seeing Matsuoka migrate toward the couch, before he knew it, his feet began to drift over to the same area. He was about to sit next to the crabby teen, who had just then decided to clean his glasses, but before he knew it the seat was occupied by Makoto who smiled innocently. Haruka felt a stab of irritation at his foiled plans but quickly got over it, thinking that perhaps Makoto also wanted to get to know Rin a bit better. They hadn't talked too much since Rin had joined. So he sat on the other side of Makoto and let him take the seat next to his neko. "Matsuoka, what kind did you want?"

Rin puffed up a bit and Haruka inwardly raised his eyebrow as if figuring that the other would try somehow to save his pride even as he had anticipation shining in his eyes when the actions list came on the screen, "Hmph, unlike some pansies I know, I'll have a meat lovers pizza. It's a pizza for real men." Haruka's eye twitched in irritation as he knew that the other was purposefully poking at him for his choice in pizza. Well he'd have to poke right back, he couldn't let that cat get cocky although this was his initiation. A little humility is always necessary.

"Yeah, real men love romantic movies, work at flower shops and tie their hair in ponytails. That's real manly right there," he said in a dry voice, making Rin pale and deflate as Nagisa broke down with laughter in front of them along with Gou and even Rei chuckled a bit at Rin's shocked face. He heard Rin click his tongue in his embarrassment before he leaned over Makoto's lap, getting delightedly closer to Haruka who looked at him with nonchalance.

"What was that water boy?"

"You heard me, kitty-chan." The air crackled between them, a storm brewing from Rin's fiery stare and his utterly cool one. They felt like total opposites at this point, Haruka was cold and distant, having no difficulty making fun of someone like Rin who was boisterous and emotional. That big idiot always wore his heart on his sleeve and even when he tried so hard to disguise his feelings, they always showed right on his face. Pain, amusement, happiness… Haruka felt almost hypnotized by the constant flit of emotion on the other's face. He felt like the other was mesmerizing him, stunning him slowly until he had no choice but to succumb and pay attention to him. He who would never voluntarily crack a smile has got to be going insane for teasing him like this but… Haruka couldn't find it in himself to stop. The blush that covered the other's face, that small pout that adorned his lips though Haruka was sure he'd deny if asked about, all of it—it was slowly becoming an addiction. He would've never realized it if it hadn't been for this night. For him staying over and being in the right place at the right time. He would've never realized just how much he'd come to be enchanted by those small expressions that he only ever showed to him. For now, he would just consider it and infatuation for rustling his feathers.

Though even as Rin and he bickered non-verbally, their stare intense, just like that it was disrupted by Makoto gently pushing Rin off of his lap and back to his position. He blinked, turning to the brunette as if in a daze, "Mou, mou guys don't get so worked up over nothing. We're here to celebrate right?" Haruka was silent and Rin let out a quiet 'tch' as he turned away from him and leaned back into the couch. Haruka did the same and in silence, they shut the lights off and turned the movie on.

In no time at all, Haruka got tremendously bored with the movie. He couldn't believe that Rin actually liked watching this. The plot was simple and clichéd and even Haruka who was "oblivious" could tell that the ugly duckling female lead with clunky glasses was really a quite attractive and that the most popular guy in school would definitely fall for her regardless of how she looked though she would end up becoming beautiful in the end. Really, it was so predictable and he wondered if this was why the other was so simple-minded about most things. A light sigh escaped Haruka's lips and his clear blue eyes drifted over to see if the other was actually enjoying what he was watching.

Much to his surprise, Rin looked completely enthralled. His eyes were wide on the emotional scene that was on, his legs seemed to have come comfortably close to him, his knees in front of his chest and his chin resting on them. Rose-colored eyes glistened as the male lead confessed his love for the nerdy girl and he heard the lightest sniffle come from him, his hand moving his glasses up as he wiped his eyes quickly—like he wanted to stop his tears before they ever leaked out. Haruka felt as if someone had stuck something through his heart… no maybe injected it with something like adrenaline. It was pounding so fast at the flushed redhead whose lips quivered sadly at the movie. He never noticed how pink the other's lips were until then. He never thought he would catch himself wanting to reach over to him and wipe his tears away. What…what was happening?

Suddenly, once again Makoto's face blocked his view of Rin. Green eyes replaced watery red ones, Red tresses were covered by brunette bangs, and full lips were replaced by thin, manly ones. Haruka almost wanted to flinch back at the pure differences that struck him so suddenly. What did Makoto want? Was he bored of this movie too? He actually had a serious light in his eyes when he looked at them and a dimmer smile than usual was placed on his face. It wasn't as if he were really sad but… more like the look was different. He's never seen him look at him before, with those darkened, narrowed eyes. It honestly crept Haruka out and he wanted to tell Makoto to stop looking at him like that. Makoto opened his mouth ever so slightly as if to say something but was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

"Ah, the pizza's h-here… I'll go get it!" Rin said eagerly, getting up and rushing to the door. Haruka huffed an amused laugh, knowing he probably just wanted some time to fix his face before anyone could tell he'd been crying just then. Though, Haruka wondered how his own face looked right then. He still felt funny, his chest was burning like there was a fire there. It was weird and unwanted. Though he'd felt something similar to this before… ah yes… that's right. He felt this feeling whenever Rin touched him. It didn't feel like this when he touched Rin—perhaps he felt a slight tingling sensation in his fingertips but it never felt so intense. Maybe it was the way he was being touched. While he always reached out to hit Rin or push him, it wasn't the same as those seldom friendly touches Rin gave him. The feelings behind both were different. Maybe that was why Rin didn't like it when he touched him.

He was in a daze for a while as he stared at the floor with a blank expression. He didn't hear the light thud of footsteps approaching him, nor did he hear the angry call of his name. He didn't notice anything until he felt a flick on his head. It didn't hurt but it felt incredibly warm to him and his sapphire orbs peered up into rosy ones who stared at him suspiciously. "Oi, Nanase, food's here. I'll throw out your Mackerel pizza if you don't come get it now. Who the hell serves that kind of shit anyway?" Rin mumbled as he walked away, hands deep in his pocket. Unconsciously Haruka placed a hand on his forehead and wanted to see a mirror. He thought if he saw his reflection, he might see a burning red mark in the middle of his forehead.

Shaking the idea off, he hurried to get his mackerel pizza as the other really intended to make good on his promise and throw the pizza out. Though if he did that, Haruka didn't know if he could keep himself tight-lipped about the scene he saw earlier. That was blackmail for another time.

* * *

They watched the rest of the movies without much drama, despite the fact that Nagisa had apparently gotten bored with watching movies after he'd eaten his entire box of pizza and half of Rei's. It was decided that after that they would quit watching movies and get ready for bed since it was already well past midnight. Rin got out the futons for the zagone that they were going to use for this occasion. Haruka didn't know exactly how it came to be but he once again found Makoto sleeping right in between him and Rin. He pushed down the hot feeling that boiled unexpectedly in his chest. It was an unpleasant feeling. Rin actually looked a bit tired as he began to settle down but apparently Nagisa was wide awake and wanted everyone else to be too.

"Aww! Come on guys! This is a sleepover and a party for Rin-Rin! Let's at least play a game before we go to bed, all we've done is watch movies!" Nagisa whined, looking at everyone with wide eyes. A sigh was heard from the redhead of the hour and he looked to Nagisa tiredly.

"Fine, but only this one game. Then afterwards everyone is going to sleep or else I'll kill you, Nagisa," he growled, making the blonde squeal in happiness and happily plop down on the futon he was on. Rin sighed again in an exasperated way and asked, "Oi, just what the hell are we playing anyway? If I don't like it I'm going to sleep."

"But, Rin-Rin, this game is especially made for you! It's called The Truth Game! It's where everyone asks a question to the person they choose and they have to tell them the truth. It's more of a get to know you thing really. That way we can all get closer," he said with a grin as he pointed to himself, "I'll start the game by asking… Makoto! Hm… ever been in a relationship?" That pure and innocent smile completely melted off of his face as the devilish one took precedence. "If you don't answer, there will be a punishment."

Makoto paled at the young blonde's face and shivered a bit, "U-Um… w-well…" He glanced at Haru for a moment as if to seek approval but Haru wasn't really paying attention at this point so it seemed a bit strange for him to look. He inwardly sighed. Would it kill Haru to be even the slightest bit concerned? It was who his best friend was dating… then again most of his free time was spent with Haru and he's never mentioned anything about a girlfriend. "N-No…"

"Really? But, Mako-chan is so cute!" Nagisa said, cocking his head, not seeing Rei turn away from him in a minor fit of jealousy but as if he could already feel such a thing, he reached out and grasped his hand. Intertwining his fingers, Nagisa turned to Makoto and said, "Your turn Mako-chan," Makoto jumped at the suddenness but he immediately turned to Haru, wondering what he should ask. He could ask Haru anything at this moment. But he had to choose carefully because he most definitely couldn't ask, 'hey do you like me or…?'

Instead he turned and asked him, "Have you ever had a crush on someone before? Ah! Someone that wasn't water or mackerel or something like that?" He had to add on the second part or else Haruka would probably tell them something about some kind of dolphin or waterfall. His Haru was just strange like that, but Makoto thought it was one of his cute points. His innocence was always adorable to him. But, today he was serious. He needed to know if he's ever had a crush on someone human before. It would be best if he said no or wait, maybe better if the other said yes while secretly thinking of him… a dopey smile came across his face when Haru answered.

"No, I've never liked anyone in particular," He said flatly, breaking Makoto's heart slightly. Though he got over it quickly. What could he expect? Haru was Haru after all. "So it's my turn right? Hm… Matsuoka, why do you like romance movies, they're really boring." Makoto glared at him from the corner of his eye. Again Haru's attention was on that guy. Hadn't he done a sufficient enough job in getting in between them? He literally has been pouncing in between Haru and that guy all night yet still Haru wanted to ask him a question? Why not ask him? Even though they've been together for years, there's obviously some things that Haru doesn't know about him! Or Rei, he was new too! Why Matsuoka?

Matsuoka stood a bit taller, looking away coolly though Makoto had also been there to see him cry but that was only because Haru was blatantly staring at him the entire time. It was hard not to notice that type of thing—when the person you love stares right past you to look at another guy. "Tch, I don't kno—"

"Don't lie, you cried three times dur— ," Matsuoka stiffened once more and blushed bright red. His body quivered lightly in his anger and he unexpectedly lunged at Haru, pushing him down until he was pressed firmly against the futon. Makoto's eyes widened and he couldn't stop the raging jealousy he felt at that moment. All he wanted to do was shove Matsuoka off of him and pull Haru to his chest. How dare he? Wasn't he being too dramatic? Shoving Haru down really wasn't necessary! That idiot, that nuisance.

"Che, Nanase don't go saying strange things!"

"Oi! Matsuoka, get off of him!" He said in his calmest, urgent voice he could use even though he felt like ripping that guy a new one. Matsuoka insolently refused him though, his legs on either side of Haru's hips, his hands gripping the other's wrist. Haru didn't say anything about it, though he was surprised when he was taken down. Makoto tried tugging at Matsuoka's shoulder but he wouldn't budge. Just where did he think he was? He just couldn't do that to people for embarrassing him! "Oi! Matsuoka!"

Haruka had been firmly amused during the entire thing. When the other attempted to lie though, he had to halt him in his tracks. He was actually curious to see what Rin found in movies like that though he tried to play the tough guy roll and pinned him underneath his body. Haruka didn't really know what he expected to see when he looked up but it certainly wasn't what he saw. Cherry eyes narrowed viciously at him as a pink flush painted across his face from the embarrassing secret he'd almost revealed. Rin's chest was heaving slightly from the effort it actually took to pin him down and he looked thoroughly flustered with his glasses slightly askew. Haruka cocked his head to the side, deciding he kind of liked this look but… something was off.

Haruka's eyes flashed and he suddenly got up from his position under Rin with ease that shocked Rin. Quickly taking advantage of that, he pushed the other so he was the one pinning him down though he thought the other was a bit more vulnerable with his legs spread like that. Once Haruka got a good look, he almost had to look away as his heart began acting weird again. There was something about Rin being underneath him, a look of anger on his face with his hair spread delicately on the futon below him… with his legs spread at that… it just made the image feel complete. Though, he didn't want Rin to think that he'd won based on his stony silence. He would definitely make the other talk and from this position, he thought he might be able to do just that.

Leaning a bit closer, he ignored the thrashing of his heart and raised an eyebrow, "So if you aren't going to answer… should we play the punishment game?" Rin stiffened underneath him and squirmed nervously. He squeezed his eyes shut like before when he fed him his lunch, Haruka nearly smirked. He was so winning.

"Don't say things like that while you're on top of me!" He tried pushing and shoving him off but Haruka stayed completely solid on top of him while Rin thrashed and struggled underneath him, kicking his feet and shaking his head back and forth, "Tch! Nanase, get off!"

"Answer my question Rin-Rin," a small smirk played on his lips and Rin looked so completely and utterly shocked that he went slack under Haruka's grip. "Feel like answering?"

"Shut up and get off… and never call me that ever again!" He answered and Haruka knew he'd won the battle. In his victory, Haruka went back to his mask of stoicism though the rest of the team would never forget how evil Haruka could be when he wanted something—especially from Rin. Moving off of the redhead, Rin quickly retreated back to his own futon, completely humiliated from losing so entirely to Haruka. "I… I just like them okay? I like th-the idea of having someone that's destined for you to be with and… someone who would accept you instantly with all of your flaws. Who would forgive you no matter what… I just like seeing that. So there. I'm sleeping now, this game was more tiresome than I thought," Haruka stared at the redhead, who took off his glasses and began to settle into bed. _Hm… He's a hopeless romantic. I would've never seen that one coming._

"Wait Rin-chan! That's only because Haru-chan completely dominated you! It wasn't because of the game. Just one question from you!" Nagisa begged with a barely contained humorous smile that found complete hilarity in the smaller teen knocking someone as huge as Rin-chan down. Though Haru-chan was stronger than he looked and they were just about the same height… Nagisa supposed it was the same as a dolphin flipping a defenseless shark on its back. He now knew not to mess with Haru-chan, if he didn't want to get his ass kicked. Rin however looked just strong enough to place him in a chokehold so he stopped bothering him with that horrifying look he gave him. Suddenly, a smirk that seemed just as scary curled on his lips and he looked at them. He turned to consult with his sister who grew an identically maniacal grin that sent shivers down Nagisa's spine.

"Ah, yes… I have a question…" His predatory glance turned to Rei, who stiffened at being stared at with that kind of intensity. "You… why do you like Nagisa?"

Nagisa was prepared to answer any kind of embarrassing question that came his way since he was that kind of straightforward person but… Nagisa knew that Rei wasn't like that. He got flustered easily and sometimes got his feelings hurt when no one noticed. Rei definitely wouldn't want to answer such an intimate question—he wouldn't even answer when Nagisa himself asked. He would just get extremely red and change the question. Though it hurt Nagisa's feelings sometimes, he accepted that this was just how Rei-chan was.

"H-Hey… Rei-chan, you don't have to take this one… I'll take the punishment game for you. Don't wo—"

"I like… Nagisa because… N-Nagisa's special. He's really persistent a-and though his grades aren't the best… he's a really hard worker. He puts all of his effort and energy into everything h-he does and pursues it until he accomplishes it… and he always puts himself out there to make it easier for everyone else. I could never do something like that. It's really beautiful to watch Nagisa and fun to be with him. So… that's why I… like him…" he trailed off, blushed brightly and looking tentatively at Nagisa who—to everyone's surprise—had his face buried in his hands, the tips of his ears just as bright as his. Rei stared in wonder before smiling and giving him a small hug.

"You didn't have to say that you know…"

"Ah but I did… it's all true you know…" Rei said in a voice that was a bit more confident than before. Rei looked over when a sudden loud noise sounded. He saw a disgruntled Rin-san looking at them with happy, shining eyes that betrayed his disgusted face.

"Ugh, I didn't expect all that Ryuugazaki, you guys are really embarrassing to watch," he huffed, a strand of red hair flying back upon impact. Rei almost laughed at how bad Rin-san was trying to defend himself. He knew the other purposefully gave them that question just to fluster Nagisa. Really, nothing ever got over that redhead—except possibly Haruka-senpai.

"You're one to talk. You're embarrassing all the time," He said, making Rin-san puff his cheeks out in mild annoyance before he flopped down in bed, ignoring the comment. _Thanks Rin-san._

After that question Nagisa had just given up on the game and wanted to go to sleep with Rei—though the red blush on his face told everyone he just wanted to cuddle his boyfriend for the moment. Makoto was glad for this as he didn't know how long he'd be able to control himself with the knowledge that Haru showed that sexy face to Matsuoka instead of him. That he'd willingly played along and pinned him in that sexy way! He would certainly have died if it were him… if it were him… sighing, he shook his head and settled into his futon next to his angel. He'd managed to do it—Haru hadn't talked to Matsuoka almost all day and despite that little setback, nothing would happen since they were both asleep and he was in between them. Maybe Haru would roll over and cuddle with him accidentally… he could only dream.

The night had gone smoothly by, everyone sleeping calmly and deeply because of the warmth present. There was not a sound to be made. Gou had gone up to her room, their mother had come home from her midnight shift and went to her own bed. No one could've anticipated it. Haruka, in his usual light sleep, heard the light tap of water against the windows. He knew it was going to rain before—his grandma had always taught him that the air smelled the cleanest before and after a rainstorm. Soon enough pellets of cool water belted against the windows and walls of the house, creating a relaxing rhythm even as the wind blew harder and the rain got heavier. It relaxed Haruka into a drowsy state though something… something didn't feel quite right.

He had no idea what it could possibly be but he felt a certain tenseness in the air that made his eyes open blearily. It intensified when he heard that first roll of thunder. A certain anxiety was radiating and it began to make him cautious. It wasn't until the second roll of thunder, when he began to hear loud, panicked breathing that he got up from his futon. At the strike of lightening, he heard a whimper. The thunderstorm was getting closer, louder… more intense as the feeling in the room. He turned and saw a strange kind of shaking in Rin's futon, the redhead's head not visible under the blankets. He stepped over Makoto and went over to Rin's futon. Reaching out, the moment he touched the other, a loud crash of thunder sounded and Rin jumped out of the futon with a loud, blood-curdling scream that instantly woke the others.

Haruka's eyes widened and he looked up to see pure and unadulterated fear in Rin's eyes. The pupil dilated, the whites were irritated but most of all… they were shedding uncontrollable tears. His hands grasped tightly at his hair and though he tried to stand, he fell to his knees as another crash of thunder struck right over the house. His scream was muffled and he clenched his eyes closed, hunching over as he trembled. Haruka's heart seemed to stop and he could not distance himself away from the panicking boy. He's never seen… anyone like this. The fear was so raw, you would have though he was about to be murdered. Rin's natural tan turned white while he curled into himself, desperately clawing at his ears as if to keep them shut. With every muted scream that pierced the air, muffled by the thunder and raging storm, Haruka felt a sharp pain. Like his chest would split in two at any moment.

The other's tears didn't strike him like they did before with pleasant feelings. All he wanted to do at this moment was make them stop. Make it stop, make it stop… Why does it hurt so bad? Haruka's own eyes glistened with foreign moisture that burned them more than looking through chlorinated water. His body moved toward the hyperventilating teen and got on his knees in front of him. He couldn't hear the other's panicked cries behind them, crying out to find what was wrong with Rin. He could no longer hear the thunderstorm but he could feel it. The other's fear struck him and he didn't want to see this. It was like this wasn't even Rin anymore…

"M…Matsuoka…" He reached out and touched his hand, if only to loosen his grip just a little. Rin reacted violently, flinching away from him looking up at him as if he were terrified of him. It felt as if Haruka couldn't do anything… was he useless?

"Don't touch me!" He snarled in an almost animalistic way. It didn't scare him… it made him sad. He was pushed away even as he held his hand out. Rin didn't want to depend on others. Not on him, not on anyone.

His mind flashed back to all those times he'd just upped and disappeared. Coming in randomly into others' lives and leaving just as abruptly, leaving no mark, no memory. He'd claimed he was his neko but was he really? Rin almost owned him more than he owned Rin. Because he never stopped him. He never grabbed him and made him stay before… he always let him go but now he just couldn't. Not anymore. He couldn't watch the other escape his grasp once again. He reached out and grabbed him, not caring that he thrashed against him even stronger than before.

He grabbed both wrists as the boom of thunder made Rin cry again. He couldn't tell how badly he was shaking until he finally got a hold of him. He was immobile with fear and could do nothing but look at me with those suspicious eyes, "I s-s-said do-don't touch m-me…"

His eyes narrowed and he released his grasp of his wrists and grabbed his knees, parting them so he could take residence between them. Rin looked shocked and pushed against him even more before he strongly grabbed his back and hugged him, trapping his arms between their chests and bringing his face to rest against his shoulder. His trembling didn't stop but he didn't thrash anymore. He was probably shocked. So shocked that he only wept on his shoulder, completely defenseless from him. He'd caught him and wasn't letting him go. A slender hand reached up to pet his hair soothingly, sometimes dipping to rub his back while Rin hiccupped on his shoulder.

"Shh, it's alright. It's okay… I got you… Rin," The other gripped the front of his shirt and shivered in his arms, "Calm down okay? Nothing's going to happen." He hadn't known until this day that he was not free. How could he possibly be when he had this guy in his arms? He just couldn't leave him alone could he? Distancing himself a bit, he wiped the other's flowing tears from his vulnerable eyes, stroking along his jaw to distract him from the noise outside. Much to his happiness, Rin eagerly leaned into his touch though he stared at him distrustfully. "Don't be scared anymore, Rin…"

"S-Stop… calling me that… embarrassing…" Rin said and Haruka sighed to himself. Rin finally sounded like he was calming down. He pulled him close again and pet him softly though Rin seemed to want something as he tugged at his shirt, "Um… i-is Gou… okay?"

Haruka smiled slightly and nodded, Nagisa had gone before to see about her and said she was still sleeping even through all the noise. "Gou is okay…"

"A-And… kaa-san?"

"Yeah. I saw her come in not too long ago," So whatever this thunderstorm fear was had to do with family huh? It was starting to come together, though there were still a few holes only Rin could fill in for him. Though, he trusted Rin would tell him when he was ready, "Do you feel tired?"

"N…No…" Rin sighed, clenching his shirt and Haruka huffed out a laugh, realizing that Rin might have thought he was going back to his own futon. Haruka was sure he was too prideful for that anyway.

"Rin, I'm tired. Let's sleep in your futon," He said with a small smirk as the other stiffened, knowing he'd been caught.

"E-Eh? Why? I-It's small—" he tried to act as if he didn't want him to sleep with him though Haruka knew better. He probably just wanted an excuse.

"Don't care. Hurry, or I'll carry you there," He threatened lightly, though it was a short distance and he didn't mind it really. Though Rin was quick to dive under the covers of his futon and Haruka followed, seeing the others watch him peculiarly but he couldn't be too bothered with him at this point. Instead, he just focused on climbing in behind Rin and securing his arms around him.

"Oi, just what do you—"

"It's to make you feel safer, Rin," He said bluntly, pulling him closer and resting his head on his neck. His heart fluttered as he thought it would, touching Rin so gently but he didn't hate it. He could get used to doing things like this especially as he smelled his favorite scent. He discovered that Rin most definitely was better than any pillow. "Rin…" He said softly, fascinated with the way it rolled from his lips. It felt good to say it.

"Wh-What…?" Rin stuttered, reaching under the cover and hesitantly touching the hold he had on him. Haruka lightly nuzzled the smooth skin of his neck, sending shivers down the other's spine that even he could feel.

"Goodnight," The other's body temperature rose to new heights and he ducked his head, mumbling softly.

"N…Night…"


	12. Chapter 12: Rin's story

The next few days were awkward to say the least for everyone. Though strangely Haruka didn't seem to mind the awkward, unanswered questions that were thrown around in the air and most thought he was oblivious to it. The atmosphere was heavy but because he personally knew that Rin was okay that night because he was there, it didn't disturb him. Though he didn't like the way Rin looked so uncomfortable around him now. He supposed it was natural for Rin to be that way. The redhead before had been seen crying and screaming but before he was just a random guy. It was different since they had all gotten attached to Rin in the time that they'd been swimming together and the ever so manly Rin who prided himself on his toughness, cowered in the face of a thunderstorm. Haruka honestly thought it must be some kind of trauma.

The way Rin screamed as if his life were in danger, the way he clung to Haruka during every crash of thunder… the way he cried in panic… it wasn't normal. It wasn't a normal kind of fear when he couldn't even move, stunned in terror. He fully intended to find out what this fear was caused by because, as he said before, he just couldn't leave Rin alone. He intended to never let the other slip through his fingers like he had been, he wanted to be someone Rin could depend on when he was scared. He wanted to see trust when he looked in the other's eyes, though he had to admit that it was amusing to see the suspicion in the other's tea red eyes when he stared at him—thinking he wasn't looking.

Currently he was sitting at home, surprisingly not in the tub—though he planned on getting in right after. He was doing something he rarely ever did… he was on the internet. It wasn't that he was just old fashioned and not current or anything, it was just the fact that he was more often than not in water computerized objects just aren't made for water. So to choose between the internet and water, it was an obvious choice. However, today he needed the internet. Since the other was his neko, he thought he might get some tips on how to train said violent cat. Or at least get him to be a bit more trusting. He googled 'how to get a violent kitty to trust you' and was scrolling through the third informative link and had found some pretty good tips when his door suddenly opened and Rin came in.

Haruka continued what he was doing as he saw the other stare at him through the corner of his eye. He made it a point not to stare back as apparently this was a sign of mistrust. He nearly smiled when the other made a small huff and sat down in his usual spot, his pillow and blanket ready. Rin was actually unexpected since they didn't have any homework nor had they gone over any new things in class. Haruka thought that Rin was just here… maybe because he felt safer here? He did have a pillow, food, and warmth here… or was it because Haruka was there…

Haruka could still remember the night they had slept in the same futon. He had discovered that night that Rin was incredibly warm, like a heater when he slept. When Rin finally went lax in his arms and even arched into him, Haruka had never felt fonder of him in that moment. He remembered tightening his arms around him and wondering how many more hours he could just hold him like this? How many more hours would Rin need him? It was a peculiar feeling but not unwelcome though his heart felt like it might've popped out of his chest, he brought him still closer and curled around him until he felt safe again.

Though today Rin seemed to have trouble sleeping. Haruka could tell by the tense way his shoulders were set and he flinched when Haruka got up from his spot on the floor and went over to Rin, sitting down so their backs touched. That was how he would start, just a bit of contact. He knew that if he coddled Rin like he had before on that night, Rin would definitely not want to come back out of pure humiliation if nothing else. He would be casual with it and not pressure him and eventually…

"W…Why are you doing this?" Rin would pay attention to him on his own. He felt the other's back press a bit more into his and he could hear the foreign timidity in his voice. To be honest the other thought it was kind of cute, he'd never say so though. He was just doing this to make him more at ease. He read that warmth and human contact was a great way to initiate trust but if he said that then Rin would probably more suspicious than he was now. Instead he decided to be just as he always was. His face was a careful mask of indifference as the other kept quiet scrutinizing every movement. He'd have to be careful considering Rin was actually quite sharp.

"I didn't want you to be nervous around me anymore," He said simply, taking note in how Rin stiffened behind him at his reasoning. He trembled a bit before turning and curling around his back so he could glare into his face with a pissed off expression. He clearly wanted to say something macho or tough to diminish the fact that he knew Rin was walking on eggshells around him.

"Tch, w-who's nervous?"

"You are… you need to be more comfortable around me. I'm not going to hurt you or anything," Haruka said, continuing to scroll through his phone, taking pleasure in how the teen below him hissed at being ignored. But Rin soon relaxed from his tense position and got into a more leisurely one, his head supported by his hand. He felt those bright eyes staring at him until he closed his eyes and sighed in an exasperated tone. Before he knew it, that unpredictable cat grabbed him by the collar and practically ripped it in his rough endeavor to pull him so that they were face to face. Cool blue once again clashed with fiery red but the other didn't seem to be angry at him, or nervous… just watching. It was like if he showed the first sign of being dangerous, the other had full intentions on bolting but… "See, you feel more at ease right?"

Rin's eyes widened before narrowing and looking away, avoiding eye contact with him though still gripping his shirt and keeping him in an uncomfortable position. Deciding that he'd had enough, he rolled so he was also on his side though on Rin's level, "Shut up already. You… probably just want to know why I'm such a freak about thunderstorms don't you? I know is a retarded fear to have and… and I'm sorry you had to—"

"Don't," Haruka said sharply, surprising Rin who had begun to take that strange look on his face again. It was the look he had whenever he flinched away from his touch, that look of pure and utter hatred… but it wasn't directed at anyone or anything. Rin was beating himself up too much about it. He didn't mind comforting him and… he actually wanted to do it more if he needed to. He liked being there for Rin when he needed him. Rin just needed to know that, not apologize, "Don't say you're sorry… and don't say your fear is stupid. If you don't like it… and you can't help it, it's okay. I didn't mind… being there for you. And as for why you're scared, I am curious but I'm also convinced that one day you'll tell me on your own… Rin."

A pink dash came across Rin's cheeks and he quickly buried his face in the pillow below him, not wanting Haruka to see his cherry red blush. Haruka couldn't help the small smile that broke out on his face, it looked like Rin was relaxing more. Though Rin didn't want anyone to know, he's really sensitive when he uses his first name. He was happy wasn't he? Had he made him happy? "Ugh, you're so… fucking embarrassing…" Haruka got teasingly closer to the stationary male, honestly testing his boundaries as he rested his chin on the edge of the pillow. Rin's scent was quite strong with him and his pillow present, if he closed his eyes he thought he could imagine himself being in a pool surrounded by flowers.

"Am I?" He asked in a low and calm tone that must have surprised Rin as he nearly yelped, turning to see his closer than necessary face. His eyes were wide, his lips parting, "Am I really embarrassing you, Rin?" As if on cue, his face turned beet red and he sputtered momentarily before burying his face again like he were an ostrich. What a strange reaction…

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Of course not."

"Why does it seem like you are?"

"You're just being too suspicious," They batted rebuttals naturally, Haruka's calm demeanor meshing well with Rin's wild and unpredictable one. Though he didn't let him ask him anymore questions that could discredit him from being genuinely concerned, "I like talking to you like this. You're the one who's acting like a young maiden," He said bluntly, making the redhead sulk, staring away from him in an irritated manner. There was a lull in their conversation as he stared at the other's long strands of silken hair.

"…Nanase… do you really… want to know?" Rin asked quietly, looking at him in a slightly vulnerable way that made him feel that same warm, stabbing sensation in his heart and sickening churning in his stomach. It felt unhealthy and he didn't trust his voice anymore so he just nodded. Thankfully that seemed to fit his stoic image enough that Rin didn't think anything of it, "It's…. it's a long story… are you sure?" _You'll listen to the whole thing won't you?_ Is what Haruka heard and he closed his eyes against the small spasm his heart endured.

"I want to hear Rin's story already," Haruka said in an unconsciously charming way that made Rin glare at him in disguised embarrassment. Rin made a disgruntled faced as he scooted back a bit and Haruka wondered what he was doing before he realized that Rin was making room for him to get closer on the same pillow. Haruka's lip twitched and he laid his head down on the pillow, looking directly at Rin who diverted his attention to the floor. He considered telling him that he didn't have to tell him if he didn't want to but he really wanted to know and if Rin wanted to tell him now it couldn't have been so sudden. Rin isn't that type of guy, he probably put a lot of thought into it before saying anything.

Soon enough, Rin began his tale, "So… R…Remember when I said I came back from Australia? Well, before I left there… I went to Sano SC around here and swam. I was one of the fastest swimmers there if not the fastest, and everyone said I had so much promise. I loved swimming then and planned to become an Olympic swimmer because of my father. He… He was also very talented. Pr-Probably even more promising than me. His times are so fast that he could've made it to the Olympic levels if he continued," he said, looking at Haruka who saw a dash of obvious adoration for his father. Crimson eyes widened and shined in complete belief in his father, Haruka thought the sight was adorable but he was confused. Then… was his father in the Olympics? Is that why he hadn't come home that night? But Rin had never mentioned that he was the son of an Olympic swimmer despite the fact that it looked like it would be something Rin was proud of.

"He could've made it if he could've continued but… he instead became a fisherman because he had to support me and then Gou. I remember learning about swimming from him, how he said it was obviously the best sport because it was the closest to flying he's ever gotten," An amused, wistful and hollow smile that Haruka found he didn't like at all entered his face and he listened a bit more raptly, "he really loved… swimming. So, to achieve the dream my father was incapable of doing, I became a swimmer and was so good that Australia became interested in training me. I instantly said yes at the opportunity to get better and said goodbye to my family in favor for training. But… it wasn't just me that was an amazing swimmer, it was everyone. And because I'd gotten in so late in the year, everyone had already formed the groups that they planned on spending the rest of the swimming time with and just looked at me as if I were the awkward new kid.

"I also wasn't too good at English then so I had a lot of trouble trying to listen and understand them. I thought that was the problem so I studied harder and harder at English and I improved tremendously… but then I heard exactly… what everyone was saying. They say it's a shock when you hear a foreign language and you understand the entire sentence without trying… but for me the first sentence I understood was, 'Yeah, that fag Matsuoka? He sucks at swimming even though he said he'd go for gold. What kind of fantasy is he living in?' And the more I understood, the more self-conscious I became. I threw away every single thing that they made fun of yet was still ostracized and my swimming plummeted. I just couldn't swim how I wanted to. Even the coach looked at me as if I were a disappointment.

"So I took leave and went home for the break to see my father. He cheered me up by dismissing all the words everyone else had told me and just told me to believe in myself. To… to just keep swimming… It was take your kid to work day that day. So of course to make me feel better my father took me on his ship with his fishermen team. They were all laughing and drinking, feeling at ease when it began… to rain," Rin's hand tightened into a fist and Haruka looked at him in worry, absolutely not liking where this story was going. Rin's knuckles turned absolutely white but before he could even consider holding them, Rin continued shakily, "I th-though it was something fishermen had t-to deal with all the time… s-storms and such but everyone was just trying desperately to get back to shore and the waves got more unsteady while the they grew in size. The thunder… was so loud… I though Kami-sama must've been angry. Then the boat c…c-capsized and we were thrown into the water. It was so cold and violent that I didn't know whether I was swimming up or down and every time I tried to resurface, the water would crash upon me and throw me back under.

"I really wondered if I were going to die, when one of my father's fishing buddies grabbed me and brought me to the surface. He said he was going to swim back but I didn't see my father yet so I… I had to stay and look for him. Even if I died, surely he must've been okay… he was almost as good as an Olympic swimmer… So when I saw a lump not too far away, I pulled away and made my way over to it. I realized it was my f-father and he was awake but he was paler than usual… I looked down only to see that the black sea looked crimson that day and as it turned out when the boat capsized, he was impaled with a fishing hook. He kept saying things like take care of your mother and Gou for me and… and to never give up on swimming even as I desperately swam with him until I reached the shore… the thunder was just so loud… and angry… it was deafening. And by the time we reached shore… I realized I had long lost him in the sea. And he was just g…gone…" Rin clutched at his head, tugging at his long locks and Haruka thought he might've made a horrible mistake making him relive this horrible past. He was caught in his memories, his eyes squeezed shut and his face looked as if he could hear the thunder rolling across the skies now. Less hesitantly than before, Haruka reached out and encased him in a hug, Rin clutching onto his shirt like he was drowning and he was the only secure thing he could hold on to, "For… for a long time after that… I was just in shock. I didn't say or eat anything. I actually wanted to stay back in Japan… with everyone else but, I knew that on the funds that my mother had… it would be better for the family if I just went back on the scholarship and mom had to get another job to keep the family supported. It's hard since we still live in a decent house, but that's why I also got a job… But, when I went back to Australia, the boys were more menacing than before.

"They actively got into fights with me and the only way I could protect myself was by fighting back. That's why… I wear rings all the time actually. So the punches would hurt more, and they would stop bothering me already. I swam and my times got better, because I was so desperate to get out of the water… and every time a thunderstorm hit, I panicked in my room under my bed or in my closet. I began to loathe swimming. And myself. I couldn't save him… I wasn't capable enough and was weak. Though they said he was in critical condition and might've died anyway, I still couldn't get him to shore. I'm virtually worthless as a child and I couldn't even swim good enough to save my own father's life… My swimming was worthless… Still I… feel like I'm a waste…" Haruka's eyes widened, finally seeing what that hating look was directed at… he finally felt like he understood. The fear of thunder, why he didn't want to swim anymore, why he didn't want to get close to anyone… the sickness when near blood… Rin had become a product of his own trauma. Crystalline blue eyes lowered sadly and he took Rin's hands, pinning them to the sides of his head as he rolled on top of the weeping Rin who was muttering curses at himself.

"Rin… Rin…" He called as if to snap the other out of his self-loathing, out of his memories that he'd purposely opened just to get closer to Haruka, "Rin! You are not a waste! Don't talk like that!" He said in a raised tone that he's never used before. It shocked Rin so much that he fell silent and looked back up at him with disbelieving, watery eyes.

"Nanase… I—"

"No, you… you are definitely not a waste you're… you're inspiring. I… I used to hate you. I hated you because I couldn't understand you. First you were cold, then you were crying about Gou's prank, then you were nice and… I just couldn't stop thinking about it. But, it was how you stared at the pool that got my attention. You stared at it as if you were homesick and you longed to get back in the water… and when we raced… I… I've never swam like that in my entire life. People say how I'm so talented and beautiful but… but when I swam next to you I suddenly didn't feel like I was free floating anymore. Didn't it feel like the pool was electric then? It was like… like…"

"F…Flying?" Rin supplied underneath him, watery crimson eyes staring at his urgent azure ones, "Yeah… I thought it was only me who felt that. But when I swam with you, I didn't think about my father. All I could think about was this electric person next to me. I feel like I could feel your every movement then and I couldn't help but think, 'ah yes… so this is what I missed…' and even though I want to crush you in a race I don't think that there's anything that feels better than swimming with you, Nanase," Haruka couldn't help the slightly red tint that his cheeks took as he heard that it wasn't just him who felt like this about their race. He could feel it too. The other sighed underneath him and turned his head away, remaining pinned underneath him without a fight. Could he tell that he didn't want to hurt him? Did he feel okay with this? Whatever the reason Rin chose, Haruka just couldn't let the other go. When he was like this, it was one of the only times he felt completely and utterly assured of Rin being in the same room, that this wasn't just some dream he conjured up in his excitement to get to know Rin more.

"Hey… Nanase…" He looked to see the redheaded teen underneath him smiling slightly, a cocky undertone in his grin, "heh, you're blushing. What are you thinking of water-chan?" Haruka looked at him plainly before snatching the pillow from beneath his head and smothering him with it. Rin laughed light-heartedly, squirming underneath the assault.

"I wasn't blushing," Haruka lied, trying to cover the other's face until his blush actually did wear down. Rin just laughed and peered from under the pillow at Haruka who tried not to marvel at seeing the other's playful attitude. He flicked his nose sharply, which made the teen flinch and scowl at him, "Don't laugh at me either, neko-chan."

"Ugh, don't call me that, Nanase and give me back that pillow, I want to sleep," He said snatching the pillow away and pushing him off. Haruka huffed inwardly, but then hatched an idea from it. He went back to Rin and leaned over his long frame. Without a word, Haruka unceremoniously dropped himself so he was draped over the other, his arm naturally falling around his waist. Alarmed, Rin jumped and turned to him, "W-What are you doing, i-i-idiot?"

Haruka's eyes closed as he refused to move an inch from the spot he was on, embracing the other once again from behind, "…Walk me to school tomorrow," he commanded selfishly. In reality, rather than Rin walking to school with him, Haruka was interested in the redhead staying over his house for the entire night, instead of just disappearing every time. He didn't want the other to live there but he did want the other to occasionally want to spend the night. He kind of enjoyed waking up with red hair tickling his cheek and the other's peaceful expression as he slept for a while longer.

"W-What? Wh-Why the hell should I?!" Rin asked, pushing at his stubborn arm while Haruka just clutched the other to his chest tighter than before against his frivolous squirming. He stayed perfectly calm until Rin slowed and just laid in his arms, sulking. Haruka observed the strange shade of red that was shrouding the other's ears, "Nanase…" He growled and Haruka once again leaned his forehead against the other's neck though this time he fully intended to use a cheap shot. Letting his shoulders sag, he let out a slow sigh on the other's back.

"I want to walk to school with Rin… do you hate the idea?" he felt the other's body temperature rise substantially and smirked at the simplicity of the redhead. So easy… Rin said nothing in reply to him but the way he slightly adjusted himself to fit more comfortably in his arms told him everything he needed to know. The other took his phone out of his pocket and called someone,

"Gou… could you do me a favor… bring me uniform to Nanase's house," He said, trying to be casual though he blushed entirely too hard on the other end of the phone. Gou-san's squeals could be heard from the other side of the line and briefly, Haruka wondered what exactly she could've been so excited about.

Lightly nuzzling the other's back, he let himself fall into a light sleep that he sank deeper into every moment he held the other. Though he was on the floor with only a pillow and a sparse blanket as warmth, Haruka couldn't help but think that using Rin as a pillow should be something he did more regularly. The relaxation that cuddling with his neko brought couldn't even be compared to his lovely bed. He'd forgotten all about the few lingering facts that actually needed to be addressed, they seemed shallow in his mind and would be dealt with tomorrow.

Makoto's mood was getting worse and worse lately. He didn't take it out on his friends and family but Makoto was definitely getting discouraged. His mind was bogged down with negative thoughts and he seemed to be permanently plagued by a redheaded virus that ruined things for him left and right. He thought that getting in between the two would maybe put some cracks in the dynamic that seemed to be forming between the two, maybe if he touched Haru in friendlier ways, maybe if he made sure that Rin wasn't within a three foot distance of Haru at all times… maybe he could get in between them. But that nuisance had snuck up on him when he was least expecting it. He believed that Matsuoka was definitely afraid of thunderstorms but couldn't help the irrepressible jealousy that manifested at the sight of Haru rushing to his side.

Before when Haru was concerned about him and his fear of the ocean, though he expressed a flattering amount of worry and protectiveness… Haru wrapped his arms around Matsuoka. He whispered sweet nothings into his ear and wiped his tears until he calmed down. It wouldn't be said that it was because Matsuoka was so pitiful, no. Haru had almost a talent for distancing himself away from disconcerting situations and was the least comforting person that Makoto knew. He always claimed that it was too much effort but there he was continuously reaching toward Rin and forcing him to accept his help. And to top it all off, Haru even slept with him! In the same fucking futon! If Makoto slept even a wink that night while being next to his Haru snuggled up behind that idiot, it would've been a miracle. Of course everyone was concerned about how much he was panicking but their surprise that Haru of all people was the person doing the most for Matsuoka made them almost feel like intruders. And there was the incident that Haru now called Matsuoka, Rin.

"Mou, I can't believe how fast this is going… I have to catch up or Matsuoka is gonna steal Haru-chan…" Makoto mumbled, running his fingers through his messy, brunette hair. He showered and put on his uniform before exiting the house, not feeling up to eating at the moment, "At least I still have this… I've walked Haru to school for years now. There's no way Rin could casually come in and take that from me too. And we even walk in the same direction so there's no way I could miss that." This was his reassurance. Those small things that only Makoto could do kept his hope up that he was irreplaceable in Haru's heart. Matsuoka didn't know Haru's grandmother's death date, Matsuoka didn't know that Haru was a Cancer, he probably didn't even know when his birthday was and if he did, he wouldn't know what to get him. Hell, Haru even said that if he was a girl, he'd date Makoto so that was a clear sign right? Though he changed it to Nagisa that was only because he was bribed!

Feeling better about his relationship with Haru, he traversed the stairs to his house and knocked on the door only to hear a light thud and a grunt. Makoto's eyes widened and he opened the door as soon as another thud was heard as well as a groan. Who the hell was in Haru's house at this hour and what were they doing?

"You're a bad kitty you know that?" Makoto heard and he froze in place, knowing that 'kitty' could only mean…

"Oi, bastard, didn't I tell you to stop calling me that? And get off of me!" came the irritatingly familiar voice of Matsuoka Rin. Makoto's teeth automatically ground together and he listened for a bit more, just waiting for something to incriminate Matsuoka with.

"You started it, you're the one who rolled on top of me. Isn't it natural that I protect my male pride?"

"D-Don't use that male pride bullshit on me! It was an accident! I was sleeping!"

"We were in big spoon, little spoon position, how did you worm out of that?"

"You… you dick! I'll fucking kill you!"

"Hm… if you can get from under me first, Rin-Rin," Makoto paled, stunned in jealousy at Haru's sexy morning voice and the fact that he was being all sexy and flirty on top of Matsuoka! Gah! Why was he here even to begin with? Wasn't Haru supposed to be bathing?! He had to put a stop to this, no matter if things were innocent or not. Haru just couldn't purr like that to other men! Matsuoka might go and start falling for him or something. So with that in mind, he clumsily made his way in, comically covering his eyes to ruin whatever mood was in the air before.

"H…Haru! Y-You're gonna be late! We have to get going!" Haruka looked over his shoulder from his position atop the weaker neko. Truth be told, Rin was actually very strong. If Haruka didn't like swimming so much that he had such strong arms, Rin totally could've turned him around. Fortunately that was not the case as he did not feel like being dominated by someone like Rin. For some reason, he couldn't really imagine the other teen anywhere above him. Perhaps on the same level but Rin just seemed to him like a vulnerable person. He wouldn't deny that Rin was strong as well but he supposed that the contradiction was a cute point of his—as Gou-san would say.

He got off of Rin, who turned extremely red at the sight of Makoto. Though Haruka was quite used to Makoto seeing him in peculiar situations considering how many times Makoto barged in on him in the bathroom before. It barely made him bat an eyelash anymore. Though Rin rejected any help Haruka offered to him and took his bag, rushing past Makoto and up the stairs. His house was bit, but it wasn't so big that the other could get lost. He decided the other would be fine and to cook breakfast for today. He hadn't made any lunch for either him or Rin so he just decided that he would actually buy something from the cafeteria for once. Or course he'd also buy for Rin too considering that he uses his money for house expenses.

Once breakfast was ready, he went all the way upstairs to his room, to see a fully dressed Rin… well as gully dressed as he would get, looking through his bag as if to find something, "What's wrong?" Haruka asked, taking his shirt off and sliding down his pajama pants, revealing his jammers. He took out his other jammers and chose two of his favorite pair before walking into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Nothing, it's not… important," Rin said in a peculiar way that made him doubt whether what he was looking for was so unimportant. Though he had no time to bug him about it as Rin would have an absolute fit if they were late. So he dressed and brushed his teeth. After he gave Rin his breakfast, they left for school. Rin still had that strange look on his face as if he were worrying about something. Haruka stared at him for a bit, barely registering Makoto's voice as if buzzed on and on as usual.

"Rin, what are you worried about?" In his shock, Rin tripped and glared at him sharply though his eyes looked weirdly unfocused and… even redder than usual. Haruka mentally frowned, having never seen that shade in his eyes before—as if something had been filming over it the entire time and just now he could actually see what they looked like. The redhead sighed and ignored him, walking once again without much disturbance, Though Haruka found his behavior off since he left to go to his room… maybe he really had lost something important? Just as he was about to ask for it, they entered the classroom and Rin had already escaped to the back of the class.

Before class even started, even more strangely Rin fell asleep. He hadn't even bothered to bring out any books or materials for the day and just decided to abandon all efforts to diligently take notes as usual. Haruka found this in itself disconcerting, looking at him all during the first two periods of class with dimmed eyes. Though, Rin didn't seem to be too troubled. He looked relaxed and since it was a peculiarly warm day, they kept the windows open. Rin's red locks fluttered in the light breeze and his back slightly heaved with each slow breath. Maybe Rin was just tired...

Amakata-sensei was having none of it though as a darkened aura loomed across her face, "Will someone please wake Matsuoka-san up for the lesson?" she said in a low voice that scared the front row students. In the middle row, a girl with bright red hair that was clearly unnatural and golden eyes raised her hand. He didn't know her name but thought she looked faintly familiar before he remembered who she was based from all of the adoring looks the boys were giving her. That's right, she was the girl who constantly says she belongs to everyone and didn't pick favorites. She flaunted her fans left and right, often doing good and moral things just to get in everyone's good graces. He hadn't paid much attention to her considering he wasn't into that type but he guessed that she would go on and attempt to wake the sleeping dragon in a show of good citizenship. Haruka wondered if she'd also get bitten like he did.

"I'll do it A-ma-sen-sei!" she sang in a cutesy voice before getting out of her seat and practically skipping to where the real redhead was lying asleep. "Matsuoka-kun! Matsuoka-kuuuun! Wake up! Ama-sensei says you have to wake up!" Haruka knew that Rin heard her but he stubbornly remained asleep, his brow furrowing with the effort. Clearly not used to being ignored, the girl pouted a bit and poked harshly at Rin's head with the tip of her finger, "Matsuoka-kun!" She whined before Rin grabbed her hand with a dangerous look in his eyes.

Looking up at her with the viciously bored look that he'd seemed to master, he said, "What the fuck do you want? Quit saying my name already and go back to your seat. So noisy," He dropped her hand like it was some kind of vicious poison before looking up at her and squinting as she remained completely shocked. She'd probably never gotten that kind of response in her high school career so to suddenly be told to just fuck off was… well there were tears welling. Haruka didn't think that Rin had to go that far, but he already knew how cranky that guy could be when you woke him up. She trembled, obviously ready to run out of the classroom from embarrassment, and turned to rush away when he suddenly saw Rin's eyes widen.

Suddenly, before the girl could take another step, Rin embraced her from behind much to her shock. She began struggling to get away from Rin as he looked down in slight panic, a bright blush spreading across his face. _What… What is going on? Why is Rin…? What is she… why is she getting hugged?_ His thoughts were scrambled and he felt an abrupt and horrible pain erupt in his chest. He felt flustered though he hadn't done anything and couldn't help but wish that that girl never existed. It hurt… this feeling… "E…Ew! What are you doing? Get off of—"

"S..Stop struggling… for a minute, please? Tch… I'm very sorry alright?" Rin said in such a gentle voice that the girl actually halted her struggles, as if confused by who was holding her. Haruka knew why, it was because he was using that same gentle tone that he often used with Gou when he was talking to her. The girl looked over her shoulder and the feeling tightened around Haruka's chest like a boa constrictor as he watched the girl's face come extremely close to Rin's… and she blushed, seeing the reluctant but embarrassed face he had. The feeling was becoming more unbearable by the second. Haruka gulped and clenched his fists.

Rin slid his hands downward, alarming everyone except for the dazed girl beside him and… unhooked the girl's skirt from the sharp edge of his desk. Haruka understood now. If the girl had run any further, she would've ripped her skirt and everyone would've seen her panties. Rin helped her out, though he was pissed before, and used apologizing to her as an excuse. Or maybe he was apologizing for invading her personal space… but still strangely… though he knew the reason and there was no more confusion, his chest still hurt. After Rin had unhooked her, he quickly unwrapped his arms around the girl and covered his face partially with his hand to hide his red blush.

"Oh! M-My s...skirt… you…" The girl's blush brightened and for some reason Haruka really wanted to tell her to buzz off. She smiled widely at Rin who just rolled his eyes irritably,

"Just get the hell out of here already!" He growled, though it really wasn't so scary when the tips of his ears were as red as they were and he was averting his eyes as far as possible from her. It was then when Haruka turned and saw that it was not just the popular girl that stared at Rin with that irritating expression… it was all the girls. They all looked at Rin as if they were seeing him for the first time and though Haruka had no idea what to do with these feelings… he already knew that he completely hated the looks. More than dry land exercises and more than people who hated water… he didn't like those girls that looked at Rin like that. What the hell was wrong with him?

"U-Um… th-thanks… Matsuoka-kun…" His fists clenched the material of his pants and his bangs shadowed over his eyes. He hated it. He's never disliked something as much as he did now. He's never wanted to harm anyone before… and he's never missed the feeling of having someone all to himself…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dawww Rin's backstory!! Oh and sooorryyyy!! I posted a previous chapter for this chapter... sigh, how absent-minded XD


	13. The Rendevous Between You and Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anoooother chapter for chu guys!

Haruka's hands being fisted in irritation was no longer uncommon to see nowadays, his eyes fiercely trained on a certain redhead beside him as they were being trailed by what had become the Matsuoka Rin fanclub. Girls stared at the redhead, calling out his long lashes, his tall frame, his longish hair. It had become all every girl talked about and Haruka knew as a fact that Rin was very beautiful, when he had a pencil nowadays somehow his eye would be drawn in the corner of the page or a sketch of the embarrassed faces that he had engraved in his mind. The trouble was that now he wasn't the only one who knew of such beauty. Now every girl in school couldn't help but stare as the redhead walked by, recalling how he'd saved the popular girl from fire humiliation.

Because of this, Rin's former status changed. He who used to be called unfriendly, threatening and someone who you just didn't get along with. Haruka of course knew that this wasn't true—while he could be selfish, Rin was actually kind and surprisingly thoughtful. Though now everyone could see this, everyone had seen his cute embarrassed face while he tried to cover up his act of kindness and he'd gotten incredibly popular over the next two weeks. Girls followed them to and from lunch, sometimes eating on the roof—but never with them as Rin scared them off with his warning glower. Girls surrounded his desk during the mornings when he arrived to school and even waited for him by the gate, disturbing the redhead greatly. He complained of course when they followed him, telling them to buzz off or to just plainly go away but they seemed to be even more attracted to the thought that Rin was actually aggressive but cute on the inside.

Haruka has never felt as horrible as he did this entire week. Every time a girl brushed his arm while getting to her seat or talked to him a bit longer than necessary, an angry pain sang through his chest and he weirdly wanted to steal Rin away from them. He didn't understand why he was feeling this way, shouldn't he be happy that Rin was becoming more accepted? It was a good thing that people weren't misunderstanding him like before but it made him so angry that he couldn't stand it sometimes. Rin hadn't asked him about it, busy with trying to avoid his fans, and he suffered in silence.

The worst offender of them all was the girl who started the entire mess. Haruka had actually gotten to know her name since she currently was the confusing bane of his existence. Sawada Kiyoshi. She'd single-handed managed to stalk Rin everywhere he went—subtracting the locker rooms and bathroom of course—for the past week or so, engaging Rin in some kind of conversation each time with that bright, loving smile that every guy in the past had fallen for. And even though Rin constantly batted off her affections with an angry demeanor, she clung to him in that irritating way that he couldn't understand.

With the thought of her gripping his arm in his mind, he jumped more aggressively than usual in the water, tearing through it with a vengeance that he couldn't help. Mentally apologizing to water for having to endure such rough treatment from him, he ripped through the surface with all efforts going toward getting out this stupid feeling that lingered heavily in his heart. Those on dry land looked at him strangely, Makoto with a worried frown, Nagisa with a curious face, and Rei with a confused look. Gou, however observed the scene with rapt attention, trying not to break out in laughter at the other's furious swimming.

"Mako-chan, what's wrong with Haru-chan? He isn't swimming as he usually is… he's swimming kind of like Rin-chan but angrier… can Haru-chan even get angry?" Nagisa wondered aloud, having never really seen the other—in his long years of knowing him—have anything other than an indifferent or neutral face on. Even when he was getting into the pool just then, while he didn't have a particularly angry face on, his tense muscles and fisted palms just radiated a pissed off aura. All these years Nagisa wondered if Haru-chan actually could feel emotion as intense as he seemed to be feeling right now.

"Of course he can get angry Nagisa. He's human y'know," Makoto said with an amazed face that he even thought of such a thing. Though Makoto as well never knew that Haru could feel something like this. He's never looked this angry before in his life. While the other generally couldn't read Haru, he'd almost perfected the art over the years of watching him and could obviously see the tenseness around his lip and the slight irate twitch of his eyebrow. Haru hadn't responded to even one conversation he'd started for the past two day since his mood sank this low and it was honestly beginning to worry him. Why was he feeling like this? Or even worse… "Why won't he tell us what's going on with him?"

"I haven't known Haruka-senpai for long but… he is the type to rely on his friends if needed. Though he is a logical type of person, yet he's just wandering around with an angry at the world stamp across his forehead. It's quite worrying… even his dive right then wasn't beautiful like it usually is…" Rei said with worry and confusion, going through every logical possibility of why the other would be like this. They suddenly all heard a splash as Rin pulled out of the water, his fan girls that had been parked at the fence all day squealing as the pool's water trailed deliciously down his chiseled body.

Rin paid them no attention and instead waited until Haruka stopped swimming to give him an amused look, "You're swimming harder than usual, what's lit a fire under your ass?" Haruka just ripped his gear off his head and gave him a sidelong glance before pulling out of the water, Makoto being there to help as always. He shook his hair free and brushed him off in a cold way that upset Rin and made the redheaded male's sister grin sinisterly. "Oi, Nanase! What's wrong with you? Don't just brush me off like an insect," He said, glaring dangerously at him while the raven sighed and stared at the ground with the intensity of a glare.

"Sorry. It's nothing," he said throwing his towel over his head and walking in the locker room to get his bottle of water. Rin sighed and shook his head, going in the opposite direction with the slightest worried look on his face. He also threw a towel over his head to cool off, sitting on the edge of the pool and looking at the blue sky with a sulking face that practically reinstated the girls' love for him. Makoto didn't know how that guy could be posing for girls when the guy he was supposedly friends with is not feeling well. It just showed him how unsuited they were for each other and pissed him off all the more.

"So shall we?" Gou said, finished with watching idly when she could watch something even more entertaining. The boys, subtracting Rin who was still in his own world, turned to her with identical confused faces and she lifted a red eyebrow, "Why don't we just ask him what's wrong together? Friends occasionally have to gang up on each other to figure out what's wrong," She pointed out, leaning on the rail as the others sank into the idea of rushing Haruka for the information not given to them. After all, it could affect the team later on if things continue to be this way.

With Nagisa leading, the boys filed into the locker room to see Haruka on the bench, leaning against the lockers with a solitary look. His mind was filled with thoughts of those confusion and anger at himself for feeling anger for unknown reasons. He even hurt Rin's feelings when he himself said he was going to make the effort to try and get to know him better. He just didn't know what was wrong with him anymore. One minute he stared at Rin and everything was normal but then he gets hugged from behind or touched and Haruka felt ready to explode. He felt like a horrible friend and caretaker and didn't even like seeing Rin anymore because he didn't want him to see how he was right then. Rin felt so bright in comparison to him now and it was beginning to make him feel strangely sad. He didn't know what to do.

"Haru," great, now it was Makoto. He really didn't feel like being coddeled at the moment. He just wanted to drown his misery in swimming and a bottle of water alone. Yet even as he thought that, a large hand clapped over his naked shoulder, making him feel strangely empty that it wasn't the familiar heartthrob that he always felt when Rin touched him like this. Now he was getting depressed for no reason… ugh, it just didn't make sense. Even though he wanted to let it all out, he felt strangely embarrassed telling the guys what he was feeling. He felt… immature somehow. "Haru, look at me," Makoto called and he reluctantly lifted his face to see his concerned friend in front of him.

"Haru-chan, what's the matter? You're not acting like yourself," Nagisa said, a hit of uncharacteristic seriousness in his voice, "You're moping around and being all cranky like you were when you were little." It wasn't the same as when he was little though. He knew exactly what he was feeling then and why. He could detach himself from something if it ever became unhealthy or too overwhelming… but he didn't know what to disconnect from here. And though he noticed it only happened when Rin was around, he felt completely unwilling to cut ties with him. If anything… he wanted to trap the other and bind him to him so he would never escape. It sounded weird when he thought of it as that but he just wanted the other to trust him. He would never be able to if Haruka just didn't talk to him again.

He looked away and his friends all looked at each other worriedly. He hated worrying his friends this way, but if he didn't know what he was feeling he didn't want to waste their time by talking nonsense. Maybe he'd talk to the root of his problem about this: Rin. It was partially his fault that he was like this and he wouldn't tell anyone or look at him differently because of it. It's not like he thought the others were less trustworthy, but he didn't think he could handle the embarrassment of letting them see him like that... with Rin he's much more comfortable with intimate situations like these. Maybe he could get up the courage to tell the others afterwards.

With a sigh, he looked up at the others and said, "I'll be fine… it's… embarrassing to say now. But, I promise to tell you guys later…" The others seemed acquiesced by this and relaxed a bit until the door burst open and Rin came in with a dark flush on his face, trembling lightly with a hand pressing down on his jaw. He looked as if he were incredibly pissed off, ready to lash out at anything and everything as he quickly grabbed his things from his locker. Instinctively, Haruka got up and approached the redhead in concern. He'd been fine just a second ago, "Hey… Rin…" He stiffened in front of him, looking down as his skin gradually turned pinker and pinker. So he was embarrassed?

"Um… Makoto-senpai! Nagisa-kun! We should go back to Kou-san outside shouldn't we? I think I left my water bottle out there from before," Rei said as he grabbed Nagisa and Makoto's arms, heading outside to give those two the alone time they clearly needed right now. The last thing they needed was a pissed off Rin-senpai and Haruka-senpai. Rei nearly shuddered at the thought as he shut the door behind him, ignoring a complaining Nagisa and a strangely stoic Makoto. As soon as the two teens were alone, Haruka could see the tension slightly reprieve from his shoulders and decided to come closer to him.

"Rin what's the matter?" He reached out and touched the other's hand, where it clenched on his jaw. Was he hiding something? As soon as he made contact with it, Rin gasped and jerked away from him, tensing again as his flush spread further. Haru huffed, irritated by the fact that he still apparently had a lot of practice left before he could read the other better. But it didn't seem like he hated his touch… what was he hiding? Haruka leaned forward and placed both of his hands against the wall, pulling closer until their skin was barely brushing. He could feel the heat radiating from the other's back. It was almost completely different from before when they were like this on the floor. It seemed… a lot more intimate when neither of them had a shirt on.

Rin of course, sputtered out a curse in embarrassment, turning around quickly to present his pinkish face that confirmed Haruka's beliefs that he wasn't angry per say but quite embarrassed, "Y-You… Nanase! What crap are you pulling now?" He asked angrily, pressing back against the lockers with his suspicious eyes on him. Haruka truthfully didn't know what he was doing. This was just how he normally made Rin feel better… but it didn't seem to be working at this moment.

"What are you hiding?" He asked plainly, staring at the hand on his jaw that clasped tighter. Rin shook his head, looking away with a humiliated look on his face, "Tell me. Rin…" his voice was beginning to sound weird the longer they stood like this, Haruka getting closer until their bare chests lightly brushed and Haruka was staring into his eyes persuasively. The other teen had two centimeters on him sure, but rest assured, Haruka could practically see the neko ears fall back in submission the longer he stared at him. He was beginning to get flustered by his voice, his closeness, "Rin…" His whisper ghosted along the other's chin until Haruka was finally pushed back by Rin, who sank to the floor in mortification.

"Wh…What was that…? N-Nanase… don't get so fucking close!" He growled but Haruka saw nothing on his face when he removed it… except… Haruka froze, his blood feeling like it ran cold as he kneeled in between the other's legs and got closer to his jaw, smelling… strawberries. The sticky residue of strawberry lipgloss was left of Rin's jaw and Haruka honestly thought that he might punch something or someone in the face that instant. Seeing Haruka's face, Rin glared at him defensively, "Nanase! Don't look at me like that! It was that Sawada chick who keeps following me around! I was just sitting and minding my own business when she just kissed me and…" He trailed off, looking away with an upset face.

That didn't make him feel any better but at the sight of Rin looking so utterly humiliated, he started to wonder what exactly made it so bad. Though he couldn't explain the slight relief that he felt when he saw his physical aversion to the kiss, "What's wrong with you all of a sudden? Did you like the kiss?" Rin's eyes widened and he vehemently shook his head but said no more, inviting more questions into Haruka's mind, "So then… do you not like girls then? Are you gay?" Rin stiffened in front of him, looking at him angrily.

"Wh-Where did that come from?! I don't know! I've just never been kissed before!" He said in a shrill voice before his eyes widened and he covered his mouth. Haruka blinked slowly, cocking his head as the other turned completely crimson. He honestly thought the other might not be able to get any cuter. He's never been kissed even like that before? He was upset because his first kiss on the cheek was stolen? He honestly had never imagined Rin to be so innocent though he had shown signs of it before. This was something new to explore… suddenly the stress and anger than he'd been feeling this week felt foolish knowing that Rin had been virtually untouched this entire time.

"Rin… you do know what sex is right?" He asked, just to be clear on just how innocent this guy was. At the mention of it, Rin lurched forward and tackled him, glaring harshly at him. It seemed that this guy didn't learn his lessons on how strong Haruka was but he thought he'd hear him out first, curious on what he was about to say. Rin looked so embarrassed he could die right now and Haruka was more amused than ever.

"Y…You… of course I know! Wh-Why are you bringing this stuff u-up?!" He yelled, "Are you a pervert or something?" Haruka pretended to think about it before shrugging. He didn't think he was a pervert but then again, he had never had sex before so he didn't know what his preferences were. Instead, he changed the topic.

"So then… Rin, you're upset about the kiss… would a kiss from a friend be better?" Haruka asked, letting the unexpected words float in the air as Rin's eyes widened. He could feel Rin's hands begin to sweat nervously and he looked at the other who looked down at him with something unfamiliar he wasn't used to seeing. His eyes had changed, turning from angry to a mixture of that and anxiousness. He didn't look averse to the suggestion and Haruka inwardly raised an eyebrow as an unexpected solution came to his mind, "If I was the one who took your first kiss on the cheek, would you be satisfied? Or maybe a different first to cancel out this one?"

"Whoa, whoa! Nanase! What are you talking—"

"Your first hickey maybe… that seems reasonable. If I left a hickey then you could lie and say you're in a relationship. That way you could be left alone," Haruka said and Rin looked surprised at the suggestion. His red eyes glanced down at Haruka's lips and he felt them start to tingle with his glance. Rin looked flustered but again, not disgusted by the idea. Haruka suddenly found his curiosity unbearable. He felt like he couldn't lose this chance... though logically it probably wouldn't come up again in a regular conversation ever so he thought it would be good to grab the bull by the horns while it was right in front of him. Flipping the other over with ease, the other's cry of surprise echoed on the walls of the locker room and he stared at the other beneath him.

He didn't let his lips touch his body, but let gravity push him atop of Rin's until they were completely pressed against each other. He could feel the other's rapid heartbeat under his own chest, his hips fit perfectly into the slot allotted him by Rin's parted legs and his lips lingered intolerably close to the other's skin. His breath wisped over it, making the spot damp with his breaths. Rin's breaths were coming in with a stutter and he didn't dare squirm underneath him with their bodies pressed like this. "See?" His voice was nearly unrecognizable to him, thick and slightly gravelly, "It's not so bad being close to me."

Rin's breath hitched at his voice speaking into his hear and he briefly wondered if the other had sensitive ears or not. "G…Guess it's not…" Rin mumbled, not wanting to lose in a battle of composure, "I-It's just like hugging… even I've done that before… though it's never quite felt like this." He whispered the last part as Haruka moved his head so he stared right into the other's brilliant eyes with his own cool ones.

"Do you think it would be okay to do a little more?" He asked, watching the other closely and Rin broke the connection between them as he turned his head away. He was embarrassed but he didn't want to show it. Haruka predicted that he had a better chance of getting his way than before with this reaction. He just needed to push it just a bit more for acceptance, "Rin, don't worry. No one has to know. I'm your friend, of course I'll help you with things like this." Rin glared at him a bit insecurely before nodding his consent. Haruka nearly smiled before he got off of Rin and walked away.

"N-Nanas—"

"If we do that type of thing here, it'll be obvious who gave you the hickey… unless you want it to be obvious…" He said in a bland voice, making the other go bright red. His lips twitched in amusement—so he was excited then to do that. That was good because he wasn't going to waste much more time here in the locker room. He'd see the other at home after swimming a few laps. He suddenly felt a bit overexcited after being up against the other so long. It was fun teasing that neko.

Leaving him in the locker room, Haru immediately launched in the pool, not seeing the idiots who had been trying to listen in on them through the thickness of the locker room door. Rin stomped out a while later, demanding a race with an irate look that Haruka gladly accepted. Gou raised an eyebrow and they all wondered what exactly happened in there that landed the others in such an improved mood. The girls had left, thinking that Rin had ran off in adorable embarrassment, improving Haruka's mood even more.

After practice, Rin and Haruka walked back to his house. Makoto wanted to walk with them but Haruka made sure to stay after just long enough so that the other would have to go back home—seeing as it was his day to cook. He didn't want to ignore his best friend, but he was also afraid that he would see through him as usual and learn just what he was planning to do when he got home. He didn't want to deal with the unnecessary questions that will have him going in circles, he just wanted to help Rin out. And satisfy his burning curiosity of a vulnerable Rin. He was actually very happy that Rin trusted him enough with his body to be able to let him do something like this.

He could see how nervous Rin was the entire walk home, fidgeting and completely silent while at the same time buzzing with anticipation. The guy was all nerves and Haruka thought he should do something about it when they got home. Haruka let the other take his jacket off and settle down like usual though he looked at him a bit expectantly, blushing slightly. Haruka let him relax as he completely ignored him and cooked… well he thought that he was letting him relax. But just a bit before he could even get the dinner out, a hand fisted his jacket, tugging childishly as a warm body grew closer to him.

"So… you don't want to any…more…?" the other muttered roughly and Haruka turned only for his eyes to widen. Rin's eyes were pleading a bit, his lips set in an unsatisfied sulk while his face slowly burned from embarrassment. Those averting eyes were enchanting and the way he bit his lip nervously made something intangible inside him snap. Grabbing the other's hand, he dragged him past his usual spot and up the stairs, ignoring his shock at going up once again to his room, "W-Wait we aren't gonna… down there…?"

"No, if I'm going to be your first then I should take proper care of you," Haruka said in an almost detached way had his hand not tightened its hold around Rin's. Rin scoffed though let himself be led to the other's room. It wasn't as if Haruka had so much more experience, but Haruka figured that he had nothing to be shy about in this scenario. He knew how everything worked and knew how people got hickeys, he didn't think he was bad looking and he certainly thought Rin was attractive. Since the other had the disadvantage of his romanticism and shyness, he thought it would be obvious who would top.

"Quit treating me as if I'm a girl in this situation," he growled while Haruka closed the door behind him and locked it—with the friends he had that burst into his house at any time they pleased, it was a good idea to do so. Haruka's eyes darkened slightly as he pushed him to the bed and once again settled back in between the other's legs, "And why do we always have to be in this position! Idiot Nanase!"

"You're a bit like the girl in this situation and I'm not the one getting a hickey. So it's fine to be in this position. Don't worry, we have more clothes on right now… you feel safer right? Like I'm taking less?" The other's eyes widened and he blushed, affirming his assumptions. At least he was getting a little better at judging his thoughts, that hopeless romantic. He pecked the tip of his nose gently, "It doesn't have to be fast… since it's your first… I'll make you feel good," those were his last words before he duck his face down to lick the spot on his jaw that the girl had kissed before. It still tasted slightly of strawberries but Haruka's lapping tongue soon washed away all traces of the lipgloss that tainted the other's skin previously. Haruka soon found that Rin tasted very clean, like water but he couldn't help also thinking the teen also tasted just a little sweet. He was so busy trying to make sure the other's make left without a trace that he only was broken out of his spell by a strange noise coming from Rin's lips. It was slightly high pitched and quivering, coming from muffled lips. What noise was that?

He licked again but this time a bit further down and Rin jerked underneath him, "A-ah… hah…" he realized that the other was moaning but… were moans supposed to sound so adorable? It shocked him, that erotic noise coming from that mouth that was usually so virginal. Haruka felt like a wave of heat rushed through him at the auditory stimulation and found himself dragging his tongue across the other's tan skin once more slower, kissing it wetly until the salty taste of his skin was tattooed on his tongue. He was spurred on by the other's noises, breathless and faint while his hand rose to the back of his head to angle his neck a bit more, "Ahhn! N-Nana…se…" Rin's arms wrapped around his neck as he practically purred his name, grinding his hips a bit on his.

Crap… why did Rin have to go and do that? He felt like he was being reminded of that dream he had before… it felt like it had been years ago but the sounds that spilled from his lips even as he tried to cover them, the blush adorning his face, the heat… It was all the same from then. Haruka felt the sudden urge to strip his clothes off though he was nowhere near a pool. He suppressed this urge by lightly sucking on the other's Adams apple, licking around it as the other squirmed and jolted beneath him. It was suddenly when he hit a certain spot behind his ear that his hips jerked up to meet his, making him huff into the other's ear. His hands couldn't control themselves as another shred of his self-restraint snapped. He ran his fingers through the other's hair, kissing under his chin, his cheeks. Everything except the two pink lips that seemed to be calling to him like a siren.

His hips automatically jerked down and Rin let out that small whimper that he was quickly becoming fond of, "N-Nanase… Nanase…" he heard the other's trembling voice as he gripped the front of his shirt. Looking down, he saw the other looking at him with annoyed but darkened eyes that lost most of their intimidation because of his weakened position, "Nanase… you jerk…" he reached down and grabbed his cock, rubbing his palm against it so lightly but with just enough pressure to make Haruka gasp and slightly double over. "You're hard too… let me do something too dammit…" He growled, squeezing lightly to Haruka's pleasure only to have him grab his wrist and pin him onto the bed. He wanted the other to trust him but if he just forged ahead without thinking, the other would feel regret come the morning. For them to go farther…

"I'll have you do something alright," he said in a calm voice though to him it sounded a bit dirtier than usual, filled to the brim with desire that he couldn't ignore. The other seemed to hear it too as he reddened even more if possible, his member twitching against his, "If you want it… you tell me where to touch." Rin turned away from him, unable to face him in his submissive position. Haruka could tell it was grating on his nerves for Haruka to command him what to do but like hell he'd let the neko boss him around in bed. He'll teach Rin to purr for him if it ever came to that. Rin growled,

"Don't say in that monotonous tone, you fucking robot! Are you bored or so—ahh!" He cried out as Haruka began a teasing, slow grinding rhythm, slowly sucking on the hickey that was already forming. Their hardened members rubbed mercilessly through the fabric of Haruka's uniform pants and Rin's sweats. He trailed his hand up to the other's chest and thumbed a hardening nipple through the other's thin muscle shirt. He had no idea what it would do really but he was quite pleased when Rin gasped and quivered in his hold, his body temperature skyrocketing.

"How could I be bored with you? Don't you feel this? You feel good, Rin…" he sighed, grinding a bit rougher into the other's vulnerable crotch, feeling his heat through the barriers, "Any place you want me to touch, just say it…" he said feeling himself throb within the constricting clothing, his blood rushing completely south and he began to feel a familiar wetness leak through to the front of his pants. Rin below him was writhing, his head tossed back at the unfamiliar sensations thrumming through him while he gripped the sheets by his head. Though his shaky pants, Rin closed his eyes and let his lips part to tell him where to touch next.

"M…Mouth… k-kiss…" Haruka's eyes widened until they once again fell into a half-lidded state at seeing the ruffled teen beneath him breathing heavily. He should've known that the other would want something like that before anything else, what a romantic. He lowered his face to Rin's and slanted his mouth over his, engaging in small kiss that made him stop what he was doing for the moment. He didn't expect fireworks or explosions from the small kiss. It was just a short brush of the lips that made a soft smack when they parted. There were no fireworks, but strangely he felt that by kissing the other, he'd sealed his fate to be forever locked by him.

It was almost like the effects had a lag time as his heart beat accelerated steadily on parting and his body began throbbing with heat as the flames in the pit of his stomach turned into an inferno. He couldn't restrain himself anymore. He quickly kissed the other again, once, twice and again to the redheads surprise, each kiss getting longer and hotter. A sigh that sang in Haruka's ears escaped Rin in his mouth, Rin's face red with arousal and heat, "Hah, hah, N-Nanase… why do… you keep…k-k—" his breath hitched while Haruka softly pinched the sensitive nipple under his forefinger and thumb. While his mouth was open and vulnerable, Haruka plunged his tongue in, delving into the other's velvety mouth while his hips ground harshly against Rin.

Their heated breaths intermingled and fought for control of the other as he ground his hips against Rin who seemed to find competition in this, grinding back just as easily. Faster. Harder. He caught the other's moans in his mouth and kept his eyes slightly open to seen the other in what looked to be pure ecstasy, shivering and jolting beneath his hands. He panted, rubbing their tongues erotically together and flicking his tongue against the sensitive tip. Rin stiffened beneath him and he could feel the utter heat radiating from his hardness. Haruka felt Rin's hands clench his shirt, encircling his back until he had a secure enough grip. He felt the other begin to struggle a bit to keep up, his hips shivering in sensitivity and his mouth falling limp as he whined. "Nana…Nanase… hah, I'm g-gonna…ngh…"

Haruka looked down at him with a single, lustful glance that showed his powerful arousal, finding his gaze entranced by teary, crimson orbs that had the audacity to look challenging even at the end. The ball in the pit of his stomach had been tightening with each move they made and with the fullness he felt in his cock he knew he was pretty close too, "Me too…"

"You, hah, first…" his challenge was swallowed by the whimper that followed that declarative stare. Rin was shaking uncontrollably, his back arched and his hips playing a staccato rhythm against his persistent ones that were even beginning to get a bit shaky. But like hell he was going to cum first when this guy was the one he was doing this to. He leaned down as his thrusts got rougher and rougher until he felt like he couldn't hold it in anymore. Rin looked as if he were about to burst with tears in his eyes and the way he frantically circled his hips to find release, "Ah! Hahh, hahh! Ahhn!"

His lustful moan echoed around the room as Haruka sank his teeth lightly into the strained tendons in his neck, "You wish…" White hot flames burst and thrummed in his veins, the pleasure so unbearable that he couldn't stop himself from exploding in his spare jammers with a soft groan in Rin's ear while the other spilled all along the inside of his underwear, whimpering on his skin. He sniffled as he came down from the high and panted, looking at Haruka with dazed eyes. "Rin, you owe me a new pair of jammers," Haruka deadpanned, catching Rin off guard who had been busy trying to catch his breath. Sharp, red eyes glared at him furiously,

"Tch! Like hell I do! You were the one who mauled me and came in your jammers!"

"How was I supposed to help myself when you were going 'ahn, ahn' under me?" Rin was speechless momentarily before he resorted to pushing him off and wincing when he felt the stickiness of his underwear. Rin blushed and frowned, covering his crotch self-consciously. Haruka leaned over by his ear, ignoring the sticky wetness that uncomfortably clung to his skin. He'd have to let Rin use a pair of his boxers probably or he'd have that uncomfortable look on all night, "Go wash yourself off, I'll wash your boxers and you can borrow a pair of mine… since I mauled you."

Rin's neck turned pink and he tentatively turned to Haruka with his hand covering the reddened marks on his neck. He'd only left a few but the sight those marks that clearly said Rin was off limit… somehow they made Haruka feel extremely better when he looked at them. He actually hadn't planned to go that far with Rin but those noises… and that request… he really had asked for it. Haruka almost wanted to grab him around the waist and pull him back into bed, "Um… do you have any pants or anything… i-it got… there too…"

As expected, Rin was embarrassed about doing such a thing, but he didn't reject his kindness. In fact he let him take care of him and help him out… he even gave him his first kiss… Haruka felt a small blush bloom on his cheek as he recognized that the hopeless romantic actually wanted him to kiss him and be intimate that time. He wasn't disgusted by Haruka's lack of control at all. He ran his hands up Rin's sides and leaned close to his ear, "Sure."

He separated from him and went to go get them some new clothes, while Rin fled to the bathroom. Ah, he wanted to take a bath but he had to cook first or Rin would be pissed off. He stretched and cleaned himself with a few tissues that he had by his bedside—Nagisa had put them there one day with the cryptic remark that he just might need it in the future. Throwing the tissues away, he slid on a pair of boxers, his jammer too uncomfortable for his sensitive member and got out two pairs of sweats and one more pair of boxers… two more things of his would be on Rin's body….

He handed them to Rin through the bathroom door and almost felt like he wanted to just burst in on him like everyone else did to him. Though he was sure that Rin would definitely not appreciate such a thing. As Rin dressed he finally got to go downstairs and cook his mackerel for him though unexpectedly Rin peered over his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his neck, making him jump. It was only a light kiss, barely a brush yet somehow… it felt more embarrassing than anything that they'd done in his room. It seemed more domestic than anything.

"Hm? Tense? Nanase is your neck sensitive?" Rin asked in a teasing voice and Haruka didn't answer him, "Yes? No?" Haruka stiffened when the other trailed a finger down his neck ever so lightly, making him shudder and elbow him in the stomach in revenge.

"Not while I'm cooking. What are you in heat?"

"Tch, enough with the cat references! Really, do you even know what that implies?" Haruka had been wondering since every time he called him that, he responded with that exact sentence. While he was taking it in the literal form, what was Rin thinking? Finishing the fish, he served it on a platter and turned to Rin with a questioning look.

"I don't know. What does it imply?" Rin's face turned an interesting shade of red, just when it had returned to normal before and he watched Rin get worked up all on his own in front of him.

"It… means th-that… between guys… wh-when we have s-sex I'd be on th-the bottom…" He stuttered out and Haruka's eyes widened. However, he could admittedly see that, the other moaning and whining for him as he thrust in and out of his… Haruka blushed and dispelled the image. He hadn't meant to think of that! What even was that? "See! It's embarrassing!"

Haruka huffed and took the plates into the living room, making sure not to touch the redhead for fear of some other strange ideas to pop into his head, "No, it was just the fact that I could actually see you crying below someone submissively like you did upstairs."

Rin paled and looked as if he was in shock from the nonchalant way he said it but it was true, "You… you… bastard… I'll fucking kill you!" What an interesting bottom he'd be…


	14. You're Mine

Though Haruka had been in favor of having Rin over another night, it was clearly not favorable for the redhead who not only was feeling quite embarrassed about the things he said to him, but because of his "situation" he couldn't let Makoto see him. Haruka couldn't force the issue if it came to that as he was almost positive Makoto would see the satisfied, if not smug, expression in his eyes at the bright red marks that had been left on his neko's neck. They had become quite sensitive later that night to the point where whenever Haruka had even brushed a finger over it, the redhead shuddered violently and swatted him away. He thought the two marks suited the redhead along with the self-conscious look he held because of it though eventually with his lingering gaze, he'd driven the neko to retreating to his house quickly. He also got to sleep peacefully with Rin's pillow that night.

Today was another day though and Haruka would finally get to see how the meddling girls would react to the marks on Rin's vulnerable neck. Haruka stretched, feeling a satisfying crack roll up his spine and leisurely walked to the tub to soak and patiently wait for Makoto to come and get him. He stared at his reflection in the water unseeingly as his mind unconsciously reverted back to last night… Rin, his shaky moans, his arched back and the way he clung to him as Haruka brought him closer and closer to the brink… it was a sight he wouldn't soon forget. The sound of those moans easily rang throughout his mind as well as the accompanying image of their blushing owner. Rin was so pretty when he moaned like that with his watery eyes… Haruka almost wished to draw the vivid and obscene image were it not for the fact that he felt that it was best to keep such an image in his own mind.

He was so deeply absorbed in his own indecent thoughts that he hadn't noticed when hours went by and he was still in the tub, Makoto's hand shaking him until he finally woke up from the daydream he'd been having about Rin's whimper as he came in his track pants. It had been surreal when he snapped awake only to see Makoto's green eyes and brunette hair in blindingly bright light. He blinked lightly and rubbed his eyes before standing all the way up with the help of Makoto and stepping out of the lukewarm water. He dressed and took his twice as big bento along with him, just a touch of excitement was in his step that sped up the process. If he were truthful with himself, he'd probably just acknowledge that he was eager to see his marks on that tanned skin again though because of his logic, he'd managed to rationalize that he just wanted to see the others' reactions.

Makoto definitely noticed this oblivious excitement as he watched the other practically buzz around the room and swiftly, compared to usual, rush out of his house without him. He slid his door closed and quickly caught up to the other who stared ahead with a dazed expression Makoto had never seen before. That particular shade of blue was also never before seen with his own eyes, the darker, murkier blue that made him feel as if he'd sank into the deepest ocean, surrounded and drowned in the hue. He wondered what could make him look like this… even before when he'd told him about his wet dream about him he hadn't looked like this before… could this be about him? Would it be stupid to get his hopes up that that particular gleam in his eye was for him? He's never looked at anyone else like that… even water.

In the other's daze, Makoto couldn't get one response from him as they traversed the small distance to school and even stranger, the nuisance wasn't around. Makoto dared to hope that the other had somehow gotten sick and couldn't come to school, leaving him and Haru alone for once. The Matsuoka didn't show for the entire walk to school and even when they arrived to class, he wasn't sitting in his desk. Makoto's smile had been the brightest it's been in a while as he observed the cold, blue, plastic seat and empty desk. Haru, however, looked slightly troubled when he saw that the other hadn't shown up before him as usual and hadn't even gone for his morning run. It was a look he didn't like to see when thinking of another man but Makoto resigned to the thought that he could only take a step at a time. This day was a prime opportunity to do what he's been trying to do for the past month: get even closer to Haru.

Where is he? Why isn't he here yet? He's always here before me… or I at least see him before I get here… did something happen? As the two sat in their respective seats, though Haruka looked as if he felt only slightly troubled, he was actually quite disturbed by the other's absence. Haruka couldn't help but wonder if something actually had happened to him on his way home, or if he got sick from running home so late with only his thin pants protecting his legs since his own sweats hadn't dried at that point. His increasingly scrambled thoughts were interrupted by a text message that he eagerly reached to get. Sliding open the blue cell phone, Haruka physically felt a weight lift from his chest and he thought then that he could breathe easier.

Nanase, I'm running late! Argh! This is all your fault! I overslept because you… whatever, you just owe me! The scrambled and urgent message describing his troubles had never looked so nice at this point and he resumed his anticipated waiting, looking out the window for his friend as he hoped to catch a glimpse of the rushing redhead trying to get to class on time. Sure enough, just as he predicted a blur of red streaked by the grounds and soon Haruka could hear the hurried and heavy footsteps of the other as he burst through the door comically with his breakfast toast in his mouth, his shirt messily buttoned, not to mention untucked along with the top buttons of his shirt undone and his green tie hung loosely around his neck, slightly askew. Though the funniest thing that he'd seen was that bedhead the other sported, red strands tousled from his nuzzling the pillow, his bangs were pushed out of his face by the wind and locks of red jutted out at random places.

Ama-sensei took a look at him, obviously not happy about the other being late however because of his mussed appearance, Ama-sensei seemed to take pity on him and told him to go to his seat and fix himself. Rin looked quite grateful for her reassurance when he turned and it became glaringly obvious why the other had been out so late that he'd overslept. Two darkening hickeys were blatantly obvious on the other's neck, one on where the tendon was and the other on the other's sharp collarbone. A dark aura spread around the class as Rin hurriedly walked back to his seat, practically showing off his hickeys to the most popular girl there was. The other's pants slowed as he glared at him so viciously it was as if he were trying to melt him then and there. Haruka's eyes shone in amusement at the other's messy look while he sat.

The dark aura proceeded to stay hovering over the class as girls frequently checked back to Rin with angered faces almost like they expected the hickeys to disappear if they looked at them enough. With a twitch of his lips, Haruka turned to stare at Rin who desperately attempted to fix himself, running his fingers through his hair and pulling at his rumpled shirt. "You look like you just rolled out of bed," Haruka said in a light voice that didn't reflect the fear someone would normally show when someone was murdering you in their minds. Rin eventually gave up on trying to threaten him mentally, blushing at his rushed look.

"I did just roll out of bed," he hissed angrily, "I had to rush all the way over here because… because you… did that and Gou was questioning me nonstop until two a.m.!" Haruka's eyes lightly widened as he'd forgotten all about Gou in his little plan. Gou was incredibly sharp and usually always knew what was going on with her brother… he wouldn't be at all surprised if she had found out that he was the person who marked her brother. But for her to know that…

"What did you say to her?" he asked curiously and Rin blushed even further while he buttoned his shirt the correct way. Had he told her the truth? He never thought of Gou as someone who wouldn't accept her brother but this was quite a far leap to accept so easily. Was she angry at him now?

"Ugh, I just said I had… a girlfriend. She squealed so loudly that she woke my mom up and they both proceeded to interrogate me endlessly until I told them some lies about this "girlfriend". Tch, I shouldn't have gone along with that stupid plan if it was going to bring all of this trouble…" He sighed in a frustrated way and Haruka turned his attention out the window, though he wanted to keep staring at his bites.

"I think they suit you. Neko-chan…" Rin stiffened and he inwardly laughed at his irritation since both he and Rin knew he couldn't strike back at a time like this where Ama-sensei was watching him all too closely. Haruka knew he'd probably get it later but it was completely worth seeing the surprised faces of those girls in Rin's fan club. After lessons were over, the hounding began. Girls flooded to Rin's desk left and right, shrouding over him as they tugged and pulled at his collar to get a closer look at the hickeys. One girl's eyes even watered as they all realized that indeed, someone other than them got to kiss Rin.

Though, Haruka found it strange that Rin's seemingly number one fan didn't approach him at all about the markings. She sat in solitude in her desk, surrounded by her own fans who practically panted for her attention. Golden eyes flickered over to the other occupied redhead who was blushing from head to toe at the physical attention he was getting from other girls. Haruka's eyes narrowed as he watched Rin's predicament with irritation. Didn't they know when to give up? There were hickeys all over Rin's neck and he just looked ravished. He was a bit looser but easily embarrassed and more obviously… Rin was prettier. He thought it was the same as when a girl has her first sexual experience and becomes more mature looking or cuter… he found that the same rule applied to Rin. Even as he came in late and ruffled looking, he looked no less attractive then when Haruka was in between his legs just yesterday night.

"Rin-san… Rin-san is this true? You have a girlfriend? How long have you been going out together?" One asked before another pushed her out of the way and shoved to the front, her shirt purposely unbuttoned as her cleavage practically shoved itself into Rin's face. Haruka found the same irritation from yesterday and this past week creeping up on him. Though he knew now that it wasn't Rin… it was the girls. Every time they touched him or hugged him, he looked down in heightened irritation, feeling a stab of anger hit him with each seductive look. Why he had this particular condition, he didn't know exactly. He also couldn't think about it as a red haze shrouded his vision.

"Rin-san, it can't be true! You can't have a girlfriend!"

"That's true! You're everybody's Rin-san! Why didn't you tell us?"

"Rin-san, we love you! You can't be in a relationship!" Rin's eyes glared at all of them angrily as he moved quickly away from them towards him. He bumped lightly into him and automatically his hand came up to Rin's hip to steady him. He felt that Rin was trembling and looked to see the rage in his eyes before he clenched his fists and said,

"Yes! Okay? Yeah, I have a girlfriend. So quit bothering me! Alright? I don't like anyone but her and I don't want you guys touching me! Leave me the fuck alone already!" He growled before taking Haruka's hand and running out of the classroom with Makoto, Nagisa, Rei and the rest of the class as witnesses. Makoto seemed to be in shock since his plans had completely and utterly crumbed at the sight of that red headed nuisance stumbling towards the door. Though for once… his shock wasn't in horror… rather it was from ecstasy! Matsuoka had gotten a girlfriend? That means he was off the market and even if Haru had his innocent intentions on him, that Matsuoka was straight and he wouldn't return the sentiments regardless! This means that once again Matsuoka is not competition and Haru was all his for the taking! Makoto had never been so happy in his life to see kiss marks on Matsuoka's neck. A wide grin erupted on his face and Nagisa took notice with curiosity.

"Ne, ne, Mako-chan, you seem to be really happy right now… what happened?" He asked excitedly, bounding over to him while Makoto got up from his own seat and proceeded to walk towards their usual meeting place for lunch. Nagisa and Rei easily fell into step with them and the grin hadn't slipped from his face in the slightest as he eagerly walked up down the hall with the other two.

"Ah, nothing in particular. I just feel happy about Matsuoka getting a girlfriend," Makoto said with a chuckle at Nagisa's puzzled face. The blonde directed his wide, red eyes to the floor when he heard about the other's happiness and he knew why. It was quite obvious to him and probably everyone other than Haru-chan that Mako-chan had a huge crush on him for the longest time. He was probably extremely happy that the competition was stopped and that the other wasn't vying for his love as they had been getting extremely close lately but… there was just one thing that bothered him whenever he thought about Rin-chan having a girlfriend… he honestly didn't think that the other was straight. Rin-chan never displayed this kind of thing on purpose by flirting—no, the redhead was far too shy for that—but instead his actions unconsciously reflected these desires to him. The way he blushed when Haru-chan got too close, or even him or Rei-chan, the way he so easily got disturbed by the other's teasing, reacting in a surprisingly submissive way… Nagisa just thought the guy emitted some kind of aura that told him he swung on that side. But perhaps he swung both ways… though in reality Nagisa really had a hard time imagining Rin-chan being kissed by a girl. He wouldn't tell Mako-chan for the time being as he didn't want to crush the other's happiness but he would be sure to watch Rin-chan a bit closer now.

When Rei, Nagisa, and Makoto reached the spot they usually sat at, Rei immediately noticed Haruka-senpai and Rin-senpai arguing heatedly… well rather, Rin-senpai was embarrassedly scolding Haruka-senpai while the latter peacefully at his lunch and looked at the former with a light sparkle in his eye. Rei was relieved that whatever seemed to be annoying Haruka-senpai was cleared from his conscious and he was now back to normal, the expressionless teen could be quite scary when he was angry. It seemed to him that leaving Rin-senpai with him that time before had done the trick, both of them back to their old dynamic of passively teasing and enthusiastically retaliation. It was a rivalry of sorts that he was always amazed by when put into action. Rin-senpai was truly the only person he's seen who could work Haruka-senpai up so much that he'd actually put effort into something. He thought that while they were often in their own world, Haruka-senpai had become easier to be around because of how lax he was with the redhead. He seemed, as Nagisa would say it, like he was smiling on the inside a lot more.

"Nanase, stop making me lunch already! I can take care of it myself! I always feel bad when you take the time to make something like this," Rin-senpai growled even as he greedily shoveled the bento into his readily open mouth, "Mou, you know I don't even like fish. Now I have to eat it for lunch."

"Don't be embarrassed. I don't use that much effort really, doing something like that… there's no meaning behind it,"Haruka-senpai returned and he looked back at his lunch, Rin-senpai paused in his eating before turning his head away from Haruka-senpai. His hair fell over his eyes and his shoulders trembled slightly, alarming the raven who turned to him with awkward concern. He reached out and touched the other's shaking back and the other let out a light sound… a chuckle that soon morphed into a laugh.

"Eh? Really? No meaning to it? I thought you cried because 'you worked so hard on it' and 'put a lot of effort' into it for me," Rin-senpai laughed, quoting Haruka-senpai who's face darkened with irritation before he turned back to his own lunch. Rei thought the other was probably regretting showing concern for the redhead yet he turned around and taunted him right back,

"Huh, at least I don't get upset over cheesy romantic comedies. Your tears were like a waterfall and you looked like you were curled up, eating chocolate ice cream like a girl on her period… neko-chan," he said so bluntly as he took a satisfied bite of his mackerel. The other paled, looking as if he'd been told the world were about to end. He then looked irate while he pushed forward to get impossibly close to the other who looked away innocently from the redhead's vicious glare.

"Baka! This and that are different! And you said you wouldn't tell, you liar!" He growled, "And quit calling me that!" Rei laughed under his breath and walked with the others over to the pair of rivals who took turns at ridiculing the other, a competitive streak that he never knew Haruka-senpai even had was shining in his eyes along with the other's blazing red. They were like a clash of opposites. Makoto-senpai took his seat next to the blue-eyed teen and he and Nagisa sat together as they usually did, watching with pure amusement… their team.

Makoto watched the interaction with not as much animosity as he'd had before, now knowing that his competition had a girlfriend and wasn't even aiming for Haru to begin with. Though he did notice how Haru was less agitated at Rin coming closer and how Rin was so relaxed around the other, he merely took it as the two becoming closer as friends. He knew that no one could get as close as he could to Haru and wasn't threatened as his best friend when he saw those two bickering with each other as they normally did, smoothly shoving and touching each other. He was happy that Haru had gotten such a friend that he could be close to in this aspect. One that could bring so much energy to him… Makoto looked down as he reflected upon it, feeling almost like a bad friend for not getting Haru like this on his own… but he was just sure that it was love talking. Love makes one greedy but since he had Haru in the palm of his hands, he could let Matsuoka be his friend. He always thought Haru could use friends.

It was later in the day when Haruka sensed that something wasn't quite right. Nothing respectively had been upsetting him or Rin… but he felt that as he walked with the innocuous redhead back to their class that something was strange in the way everyone stared at Rin—the boys especially. Thinking that he was just being paranoid, he decided to let his wariness drop momentarily and to just assume that they were thinking about Rin having a girlfriend now. However, the last thing he was expecting was the redheaded girl who had been the purpose for this lie to begin with, to come bounding up to Rin, hugging him tightly. What the hell? Hadn't she heard? Rin had a "girlfriend" now, so why was she still clinging? Hadn't she noticed the marks… had his plan fallen through?

Rin was just as surprised, if not more as Haruka heard the gasps and loud whispers ring around the hallway at the sight. Rin glared angrily and tried to push her away but she stuck on strongly, clinging tightly to his shirt, "Rinny! I missed you! Why don't you ever eat lunch with me?" She complained in a whiny voice that Haruka supposed was intended to sound cute. However, Haruka couldn't see anything remotely attractive in the girl in front of him. He just wanted her to disappear. She'd caused enough trouble for them both already.

"R…Rinny? Don't fucking call me that! And let go! I told you to leave me alone!" Rin snarled, wrenching out of her tight grip and stalking to the room ahead. Just as he was also about to turn into the room, he caught a sinister smile on the redhead's face as she looked to him with a smug smirk that made Haruka's fists clench in irritation. Almost like he was mocking Rin, he also aggressively walked away from the idiotic girl to his desk. Looking out the window, he attempted to calm himself. He thought soothing thoughts, closing his eyes and telling himself it was just a few more hours until he would be submerged in his own world underwater where only he and the energetic redhead mattered. An escape. That was what he needed.

Sensing the irritated atmosphere from both of them, the rest of the swim team was struck with surprise as they were both so friendly with each other a few minutes ago. Worried faces turned towards the bored as a single hope rang in all of their minds that whatever was causing this bad mood would be resolved soon. Afterschool, Haruka followed Rin to his shoe locker to make sure that no one—artificial redheads in particular—would spring up by surprise and tough the unsuspecting teen. What a nuisance that girl was, making him so conscious of who touched Rin. He just didn't like it when someone with those intentions touched his neko. He could feel his overprotectiveness over his pet going wild inside of him and felt that he couldn't afford to leave the other alone since he was so bad at protecting himself. Dumb neko.

"Eh? What's this?" He heard Rin's voice ask in surprise as he took out a girly looking, pink letter with hearts decorated on it and a simple 'to Rin-san' on the front in neat handwriting. It was clear what it was. Painfully clear. Rin cocked his head to the side curiously and Haruka's heart thudded painfully as his thumbnail moved to cut open the wrapping, "A letter?"

"W…Wait… you're really going to open that? Haven't you realized that it's a love letter, baka? It's just some girl confessing to you again. You don't care about that kind of thing, do you? You said so before…" Haruka said swiftly, slightly surprised at his negativity towards even a letter. But for some reason he could just sense that the letter would lead to something bad and his grandmother had always told him to go with his gut feeling when it came to ominous things that this. Though he was even more shocked when the other turned to him with an unsure face. He was sure that the other had expressed no interest in this type of thing before, even saying that girls were just plain annoying. But now all he had to say was,

"But… A love letter… I've never gotten one before…" He said lowly, blushing slightly as he looked down at the pink letter. Haruka's heart spluttered at the sight of the romantic looking down at the letter because of course Rin would think differently about a love letter. Of course he'd have that sentimental look in his glaring eyes that told him that the neko was actually thinking about reading it because the person did something so romantic… Haruka couldn't help the overwhelming irritation that flowed over him at the sight of the other looking a bit happy to receive something so stupid. But he didn't like taking things out on the other so he'd appease himself and tug him bossily with him to the swimming pool while the other opened the letter.

"Wh…What's it say?" He asked as he stripped his shirt slowly so as not to look as aggressive as he felt. No one was here yet, not even Kou-san so they were alone once again in the locker room where they'd made that deal… yet ironically there Rin was reading over a frilly letter that confessed a girl's love to him. When he looked back, he was unsurprised but certainly fuming at the fact that the blush had spread like wildfire on his face, showing how affected he was by the letter.

"W…Well… it says… um…" His blush deepened and Haruka, not wanting to see anymore, walked over and took the letter from his slightly trembling hands that soon covered his face in the cute way that showed he was extremely embarrassed. Looking down at the paper, he read the neat handwriting once more.

_Dear Rin-san, ever since the day I witnessed you rescue Sawada-san… I have been in love with you. To see your face so humble and trying to take attention away from yourself was very adorable and since then I couldn't stop watching you. Since then I've been watching you and I became enchanted. From the way your pointy teeth show when you grin cutely to the way you get so offended at having meaningless suitors that don't like you for who you are… your heroism amazes me. I love it all. Your personality is charming and whenever I see you my heart beats so strongly, I feel I can't breathe. Because I've been feeling this way, I want you to come see me after school… to tell you my feelings in person. If I don't it's cowardly right? So… please come around to behind the gym. You don't need to accept because I know you have a girlfriend who you probably love very much… but I would really appreciate telling you my feelings in person and perhaps getting to know you better._

Haruka's hands just barely trembled at reading the letter. Shit. This kind of thing was gold for someone like Rin. It sounded just like it came out of a romance movie or shoujo manga. It really was nothing like the girls who had just been vying for Rin's attention. Because she actually put feelings into this letter… there would be no way he could stop Rin from going to see her even though he found the whole letter business tricky.

"I-It's embarrassing right? To… to say those things… it must've taken a lot of bravery…" Rin said, ducking his head down as he looked away. He was so easy. Purring for other people and showing that cute face off. Didn't he realize his looks were dangerous once they were found out? Once people actually got to know Rin… there would be no way they'd let someone so adorable out of their grasp. They'd make that idiot go nya, nya for them instead of him… "I've decided," No. Don't say that. Don't say it like that idiot… "I'm going to her. It's the right thing to do… to let her down gently…"

And just like that, Rin fled from the locker room as Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei came in. Looking down, at his hand, Haruka quickly balled the letter up and stuffed it deep in his pocket. Once again, his mood was shot and he quickly stripped his clothes, storming past the others and jumping into the pool with the aggression of a hunter pouncing on his prey. He again mauled the water beneath him, pushing roughly against it and cutting viciously through as he tore down another best time out of pure anger. The others exchanged worried looks about their friend but Gou simply stared at the other with a raised eyebrow, wondering exactly what her brother did this time.

She looked around as she noticed with that thought that her onii-chan wasn't even there at the pool! That was certainly strange. With someone as ambitious as her onii-chan, usually he would drag Haruka-senpai here right after school to engage in a race with him before anyone could get here. For him to be late was quite unheard of in his weeks of membership. Though she supposed that everyone had to slip sometime… at least… that's what they all thought. But minutes collected on each other, growing longer with each passing second and Rin had yet to return. Haruka after fifteen minutes had begun to swim slower, not because he chose to take the leisurely route… but because he couldn't feel Rin in the water—meaning he was absent. Haruka slowed so he could properly feel it when Rin's electric figure sliced through the water to swim with him.

Fifteen minutes turned to thirty and Haru turned on his back to float, a nonchalant way to see when Rin would return. He didn't understand what was taking him so long, what could the girl possibly be saying that could take so long? Or… what could she be doing? The unease nearly made Haruka sink on his float as his breathing became ever so slightly uneven. Thirty minutes grew to forty-five and Haruka stopped swimming altogether, catching everyone's attention as he drifted to the edge, his blank eyes staring just barely over the concrete to the gate. His shoulders were tense as he looked around with deep blue eyes that showed his worry clearly. Where was he?

Makoto assumed he had wanted to get out but the other only waited at the curb, staring intently at the gate but Rin… hadn't shown his face all during practice. Gou was sincerely worried now as she knew her onii-chan would never miss practice on purpose. Even Nagisa and Rei were getting worried as they saw how Haruka tensed when Gou shakily announced that practice was over, his knuckles turning white with his grip on the edge. Ignoring Makoto's stretched out hand, Haruka quickly stalked to the locker room and came out with his things and Rin's in hand. Giving them to Gou, he turned mutely and stalked away from practice with Makoto chasing after him. Makoto knew better than to talk though… Haruka was absolutely pissed.

The redhead didn't come to tutoring that night either and two plates of mackerel sat on the table as the raven was too sick with worry to stomach even mackerel.

The next morning, Haruka forced himself to eat breakfast and sit in the tub although he was quite anxious to leave. More anxious than he'd like to admit. At this point he was beyond angry. He wanted to see that idiotic neko and punch him in the face for not only making his nerves like this but messing up his valuable swim time too. He leapt out of the water when Makoto came and nearly forgot his and Rin's lunch in his rush. He couldn't wait to see that idiot so he could give him such a cold shoulder for ditching him for some… some girl! That idiot… but when the raven got to school… there was no sight of the redhead anywhere. Sitting down, he tapped lightly on his thighs, his body humming with nervous energy as he anticipated a flustered text from Rin or a blur of red downstairs… but nothing came the entire time.

He forced himself to eat his lunch, the hope that Rin would appear behind him and antagonize him about making him something slipping through his fingers. It just didn't feel right to eat bento without the energetic redhead by his side. Yet despite this fact, Rin didn't show up the entire lunch and his bento remained untouched. He stayed out of class for the rest of the day too and yet again an entire practice went by with no notice of him, though Haruka notably spent more time staring at the gate than actually swimming. And later on, Haruka found that his floor was missing the usual red flare that spread across the white of his pillow even though he made one extra dish. His expression stayed the same… but his eyes were crumbling.

Makoto thought that this was absolutely great. Matsuoka hadn't been around for the past few days and slowly but surely things were going back to the way things were before. Just him and Haru. No one got in between them because the redhead was off with his own love affairs. He thought it was a good thing… until he began to see dark circles under the other's eyes. Until he began to stare more at his lunch than eat it. Until he began to almost obsessively check his phone… Makoto was sure that without Matsuoka in the equation anymore, it would be easier to talk to Haru and interact with him more. But, now even with him gone, Matsuoka seemed to be getting in the way more than ever and Haru was becoming distant again. He began to realize… that even if Matsuoka got a girlfriend, there would be no telling how attached he'd gotten Haru to him in the short time they were together. He'd left Haru a complete mess and despite himself, Makoto was beginning to feel more helpless than ever. How could he show Haru that he didn't need Matsuoka?

It was the third day that Rin had disappeared, not showing at practice nor at school. Nagisa and Rei thought it was about time to ask Gou what was going on with her brother. She seemed to be worried but compared to everyone else, she seemed to be functioning normally. They figured that she had to know what was going on. They even planned to later on visit the redhead to see if he was alright—they'd abstained from doing so before because they knew that showing up unannounced might to more harm than good in Rin's case.

"Gou-kun… how's Rin-chan?" Nagisa questioned hesitantly and Gou was more in her own world than he thought as she didn't bother to correct him, "What's been going on with him? He hasn't been to school or practice… is he sick?" While Nagisa interrogated Gou, Rei looked over the railing to see that Haruka had frozen in place. The unmoving raven was obviously listening and he might've been coming up to ask himself at this point. Rei saw the way his shoulders tensed with the urgency he usually felt when near a body of water as if the news Gou gave would dictate whether he ran out to find Rin right then or not.

"Um… he hasn't come home. I called him the other day and he said… he said he'd be gone for a little while… he didn't say why or where he was. He also said he hasn't quit swimming but is taking a break. Then I heard some woman's voice and—" startled, her sentence was cut off by the near violent slam of the locker room door and Rei looked over the railing to see that Haruka was no longer there. Nagisa figured that Gou must've been trying to keep that news to herself by how quietly she was talking but he would've never figured that Haruka would have this kind of reaction. By the way Gou's shoulders slumped and how she ran a hand through her hair, she was kicking herself right then, "I don't know any more than that."

Inside the locker room, Haruka nearly ripped his clothes off in his efforts to get to the water, his face dark as he couldn't help the way images of Rin and some stupid girl kissing entered his mind. Makoto noticed how bad it was getting when Haru just stormed past him, like before the summer. It was like he was reverting back to how he only cared for water but… but worse. When he jumped in and only swam a few laps only to hopelessly stop to check if Rin possibly came back… it was a thousand times worse than when he was only devoted to water. It hurt to see him just waiting with reluctantly hopeful eyes as he stewed in his own indecipherable emotions. Even Makoto hadn't seen him like this before. It pained him to see not only the one he loved so obviously worried over another guy but to be gazing after his shadow while there was someone who loved him right beside him. Swimming practice that day was tense and becoming less and less enjoyable without their redhead.

On the fourth day, Haruka was just about ready to rip his hair out and go looking for him himself. He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep since that news that Kou-san had given him. For some reason all that he could see behind those wicked eyelids of his was the silhouette of a gorgeous black haired beauty kissing Rin's strong body. Before it was reasonably innocent, with them just kissing but as time went on things got dirtier. He could hear Rin's gasp as the vixen kissed just the right part of his neck, he could see the muscles of Rin's slender but strong back flex as he thrust into her. Their whispered confessions of love echoed in his ears as Rin told her he was glad that his first time went to her… the distant sound of a crack woke him from his remembrances and he looked down to see that he'd broken his pencil in half by accident. Fuck. What was this horrible feeling? How could he stop it? And most importantly… where was Rin?

"Mochida-san! What did you do?" A high-pitched growl was heard, catching Haruka's attention. It was Sawada-san who had her hands pinned on this "Mochida-san's" desk. Her golden eyes were sharp with anger and she glowered at the cowering boy who Haruka noticed was strangely covered in bruises. His eye was black and inflamed and he wore his sweater loosely but Haruka could guess that there was more bruising below his collar and his arm seemed to be broken. A few other guys near Mochida-san seemed to be the same way, bruised faces, sprained or broken limbs and pissed off or cowardly expressions.

"W…We gave that idiot what for!" An average looking brown-haired male, who was one of the injured fellows, shakily replied. He whimpered when the girl's look got darker and looked away with a twisted expression of grief and fury. Another injured boy stepped in to aid the other, looking firmly at the irate female.

"We had to. That guy just walks around like he's so arrogant and he's better than us but he's no better! He just acts like he's all that because he's your boyfriend. But then when we asked him about it, he acted like he didn't know what we were talking about… like we were the ones in the wrong! But, he just dismissed all accusations and didn't even fight for you when we said we might take you. He doesn't care about you! He never ha—" a loud smack echoed across the room, making all who weren't paying attention turn to the scene that seemed to freeze in midair. Sawada-san's hand was bright red, her golden eyes glistening while her upper lip twitched in absolute wrath. The injured boy's eyes were wide, frozen in his shock as his uninjured hand shakily trialed up to his bright red cheek that just barely had scratch marks from Sawada-san's nails, "Sawada-sa—"

"Who are you to say that he'll never care about me… what's between me and Rin-san is between me and Rin-san! It has nothing to do with you! Now he isn't here anymore because of you… I'll never forgive you!" She wailed, tears falling with her anguish and Haruka's heart stopped. Rin…san… Rin? It was their fault that Rin wasn't there? What did they do? Why is Sawada-san involved? Could she be… could she be the girl that was on the line that time? Questions built higher and higher in Haruka's mind with no answers in sight as the buzz of gossip that rang throughout the class disrupted his thought process even more. He could take no more… he had to get away. Now. If he couldn't find Rin, then he couldn't stay here either, he just had to run.

Standing up, Haruka calmly walked out of the classroom without anyone's notice except for the three worried pairs of eyes that trailed with alarm after him. Though because Ama-sensei came back in the room, they couldn't follow him lest they face her wrath. He was glad about that… he couldn't deal with anyone anymore. He just needed to be by himself. He couldn't swim anymore, the warm way the water engulfed him left a hollow imprint in his chest. It had been confirmed right before his eyes. Rin didn't want to swim with him anymore. He wanted to hang out with Sawada-san and was probably staying with her. He didn't want to come to his house anymore… and the feeling of flying was probably long gone for him now… he didn't need Haruka's swimming anymore and wanted Sawada-san more than him. Rin didn't want him.

The second he thought that, his mind went blank as if shutting himself off to not pain his throbbing heart anymore. His face had gone expressionless and his eyes dulled to an almost grey color, no more emotion could be given. He gave up. He couldn't bear to feel anymore. It hurt too much. So he once again turned away from the situation because he thought that was the least he could do for Rin. He'd stop getting in his way and let him be. He wouldn't guilt him over how worried he was because Rin was happy… that's what he said he wanted right? He said he wanted Rin to be happy because that was the only semblance of freedom he could have from him… and now he was completely free right?

When he got home, he lazily took his shirt and pants off and started a cool bath for himself to soak in for hours. He just couldn't take anymore… but he soon realized he couldn't entire stop the thoughts of Rin from creeping in. It was hours before the raven finished his bath and he actually might've stayed longer had he not had the incredibly urge to go downstairs. He knew why. It was because the other always came at this time and the silent rule between them was that he got an hour before study time. He couldn't look at his phone because he felt like he'd be tempted to check again if maybe the redhead texted him. He couldn't look at his table as he cooked, staying away from the spices because it all reminded him of Rin. It was like he'd marked the house as his property without him knowing and there were traces of him everywhere even though there wasn't any of his things there… there were memories of his laughter and his tears…

Haruka roughly ran a hand through his hair and ate the rest of his mackerel in the kitchen before going upstairs and flopping into his bed only to curse himself as the smell of chlorine and flowers permeated his nose. Was he going insane? He just couldn't get it out of his mind. Rin… he thought that he was distancing himself… why wasn't it working? He couldn't even be in his own home anymore without seeing Rin everywhere. It was quite frankly pissing him off. So frustrating! He said he'd leave the other alone since he has a girlfriend but the other was still annoying him. He was too far gone to forget about the other and disconnect himself from him.

 _He doesn't want to swim with me anymore. What more evidence do I need that I obviously won't be spending much more time with him? But then… if he doesn't want to swim with me then…_ The logical side of him fought with the side that felt that this was unbearable. He'd lived without Rin for his entire life, it couldn't be unbearable to think of him with another person. It was obvious that this was going to happen anyway. But just the thought of that electrifying feeling going away from him pained him. That intensity, that passion that made him feel more alive than he'd ever felt before… when he truly felt like he could do anything he wanted to… if Rin wasn't there then… _Why do I swim? Why…?_

Haruka felt almost alarmed that he thought that. It was as if he was questioning his entire life… no it was him questioning his life. He lived for swimming. Nothing else captured his attention, soothed him, and enraptured him like water. How could he possibly say something like he couldn't swim without Rin? All Rin does is give him trouble when he thinks about it. He cries all the time, he makes him feel responsible for him, he yells and makes fun of him and then he turns around and clings to him like he didn't need anyone else other than him. He gripes when he pushes him down but still accepts his touch and even though he hates being dominated, he moans and sighs like he's never felt more pleasure than when he touches him and just looks at him like he desired him… All these contradictions should drive him mad so why couldn't he just put him down and leave him alone? Even Makoto was less of a pain than he was.

Why did he slip his jacket on and run out into the dead of night? Why did he search all over the city to try and find where he could possibly be? And… why when he was just about to give up as he reached the empty poolside of Iwatobi… why did he feel like he might cry when he finally saw the glint of red shining in the reflection of the clear water? His breath halted and he whipped his head around to see a surprised Rin staring right back at him, looking for all he was worth like he was completely fine while Haruka had been going absolutely insane with worry. He glared sharply at Rin who looked even more surprised at the reaction until he etched a glare on his face. A glare that Haruka wouldn't put up with. Not now.

"N-Nanase? W…What are you doing here?" The air seemingly turned ten degrees cooler as Haruka turned away from him slowly, ignoring him to the fullest it seemed until he stood and walked towards him, his hair covering his eyes as he gave his body a full check. Unlike Haruka who was wearing a quickly put together outfit of sweats and his Iwatobi jacket, Rin wore his own loose, black track suit though it didn't look as if he'd been running. He had a black cap atop his head and Haruka found that his clothes were a bit more concealing than he was used to. He didn't answer the question but instead looked at him with irritation obvious in his eyes.

"Where were you? Where did you go for all this time? Why? You could've called you know. Didn't I tell you to call me when you couldn't come over? Do you have any idea how worried I… I-I mean everyone was?" He bombarded him with questions, making Rin flinch and drop his gaze to see a slight purple color emerging from his collar. No. it couldn't be… that girl had left her own hickeys? "Rin what's that?" He pointed to his collar and Rin saw the coloring of his skin and quickly covered it with his jacket, a criminal red blush on his face. Fuck he really was fucking around with that girl while they were all worried.

"I-It's nothing… don't worry about it Nanase…" He said, looking around as his lying showed off, irritating Haruka even more as he felt something snap inside him. All the pressure, the worry, the pain… it all piled up and the cause of it spilled from his lips without him knowing.

"Rin," He approached the other, pushing him to the fence behind him with a warning in his eyes that he would take no defiance today. Pushing a leg in between Rin's trembling ones, he felt Rin grow nervous as he jumped at the contact, "Rin…" He pinned his wrists roughly to the fence and Rin cried out sharply. A pained cry that alarmed Haruka so much that he actually let go. He saw how the redhead winced and immediately cradled his wrist to his chest. Haruka's eyes lit with acknowledgement. There was a bit more to this than he'd imagined. Realizing that he knew this Rin attempted to escape only for Haruka to clap a hand on his shoulder and make him gasp, falling to his knees while his apparently uninjured hand went to his shoulder quickly. "What's wrong with you?"

Rin's eyes turned wide in his obvious alarm and he hurriedly shook his head, paling as his blue eyes narrowed, "It's nothing Nanase. Mou, stop bothering me already. I said I'd come back later, I just don't want to see anyone right no—"

"Why?" he interrupted, getting close to the injured neko on the ground who curled defensively.

"B…Because I just don't want to! Leave me alone already!" That may work on other people, but that wouldn't work on him. He couldn't leave the other alone, he knew this for a fact now. It was only fair that he disturb the other like he'd been unknowingly disturbing him for days now, "It doesn't have anything to do with you? You were probably just fine with me gone anyway! All I do is cry around you and yell at you. You probably were loving a break from m—"

"Don't say that, baka," Haruka interrupted harshly, startling the ranting redhead as he gently pushed Rin the rest of the way onto the floor, straddling his waist, "I was miserable. All I did was check my phone to see if you'd called and think about you constantly. I couldn't even swim because I was too busy seeing if maybe you would come back. You were the one who just left, having fun with your girlfriend so much that you couldn't even tell me you were oka—"

"Wait… what are you talking about? I don't have a girlfriend," Rin said, an honestly confused look in his eyes as he sat up, leaning back on one hand. Haruka paused as Rin said that, shock hitting him. What? He didn't… have… a girlfriend? That just made the entire thing more obscure! Where the hell was he all this time then?

"N..No, Kou-san said that you weren't coming home and… and she heard a girl's voice in the background and that you weren't coming back," he said, his voice lightly shaking in disbelief that he could've possibly misunderstood this entire thing, "A-And Sawada-san… what about her?" Rin's eyes darkened murderously and he laid back on the ground, crossing his arm while looking away.

"What about her? She's the one that cause all this, that baka," Rin growled with obvious disdain and Haruka gave him a desperately confused look, "It's… ugh… the love letter was f-fake. It was a set up from the guys in that idiot's fanclub to ask me about my intentions toward her. Apparently she'd been saying that we were dating and of course I had no idea what was going on but the hickeys on my neck were apparently enough to prove to them that we were 'dating' and… well they tried to beat me up. In the end I kicked all of their asses but it was like five on one so I'd gotten a lot of hits anyway and had to drag myself to the nearest hospital. After that it was pretty black but when I woke up, I was hooked to an IV and they told me I'd been under treatment while I was asleep the entire day.

"I wanted to at least go to practice but the doctor specifically told me that I could absolutely do no strenuous physical activity for a few weeks until I got better. After telling me that I decided that I'd just stay in the hospital for my treatment and was just released today. I didn't tell Gou exactly where I was because if I did then she'd get so worked up and get you guys worked up too… plus I didn't really want to look at you after being so excited about going to the girl to reject her feelings gently only to get beaten up," Rin sighed and blushed after explaining. Though there was just one thing that was unclear.

"The woman's voice in the background then?" Rin's eyes flashed in remembrance of the incident and he said,

"That was a nurse who told me I couldn't talk on the phone so near to my room because there was a lady with a pacemaker nearby so I had to hang up and turn my phone off so I couldn't contact you guys," Haruka stared at him, his eyes shining as he realized that after all there was nothing to worry about… it was all just him being worried… and meanwhile Rin was hurt. But sadly he couldn't have been more relieved that that was the case. Getting off the other, Haruka grabbed his uninjured hand and walked with him back to his house. Of course he wouldn't let the other go back home after being away for so long. It was selfish but, he couldn't bring himself to be mature about the situation at the moment. But he did have plans for this evening. Plans that would make sure that this kind of thing never happened again.

"Rin… show me your bruises," he commanded with an air that said what he wanted this time would simply have to get done no matter what. The redhead stiffened as he settled on his normal spot on the ground. His hair whipped as he quickly turned to the raven whose arms were crossed expectantly.

"E-Eh? They're fine Nanase, you don't need to…" He trailed off at the sight of Haruka's blank stare that just plainly asked if he were going to protest for much longer because it would be happening regardless. Rin flushed and Haruka nearly cracked a smile seeing it after all this time. It was nice to make the other blush again but he tried not to soften his face. If he did that then Rin might be able to get out of doing what he wanted him to do and for his plans to go how he wanted, Rin needed to show him those bruises. Without him guilting him, without giving him an excuse to yield to him this time. He just wanted Rin to trust him.

Gulping, the other slowly stood and walked over to him with a worried and slightly angered face that made Haruka raise an eyebrow. Really, did he have to make such a displeased face? What a naughty kitty. Rin sighed and unzipped his jacket, letting it flow down his body as it exposed his shoulders and arms before falling unceremoniously to the floor. Haruka saw the dark purple bruise where he'd grabbed Rin's shoulder before and his wrist was wrapped in a stationary wrap that showed he must've injured it in some way. It was the shirt where Rin hesitated, playing with the hem and looking up at his suspiciously but his face never changed and the glaring concern he had written in his eyes made Rin concede once more and the shirt let as well. Haruka's eyes widened as he say splotches of bruised skin painting Rin's body ugly shades of purple, black and blue. There were a few yellowed bruises as well but most of his abdomen and back was littered with bruising. Closing his eyes, he tried to imagine how beaten up the other boys were in comparison to Rin as pure and utter rage welled in his body. He wanted to land a few punches himself on his past attackers though it was unlike him to really want to have anything to do with violence, when someone touched Rin like that and left bruises like these he felt like he had to do something even when he knew little to nothing about fighting.

"Rin…" he said quietly with saddened eyes that made the redhead look away with a face that said 'I told you, you wouldn't want to see me…'

"Stop looking at me like I'm dying or something. It's just some bruising and they're already so dark that I should be swimming in another week or so…" He said as if to convince him but Haruka almost felt that now that he was back at his house, he had to catch up for lost time and since things were going his way, why not try it?

"Rin, I'll cook. Take a bath, you smell like antiseptic," Haruka said, watching the color flame on Rin's face at his demand. Rin looked almost like he wanted to protest but Haruka cocked his head to the side with a lifted eyebrow, "What? It's just a bath. Are you scare of something?" That seemed to be the catalyst because Rin quickly snatched his clothes from the floor with a glare on his face that told him that things were slowly but surely reverting back to how they should be after the entire incident. Rin was still easy to play with as usual.

"What did you say? I'm not scare of a fucking bath! Tch, and who are you to be saying I smell, you always smell like mackerel and chlorine," he growled and Haruka just put his apron on and got out some fish, packing the final punch with,

"Oh, so you pay attention to what I smell like? What a hobby…" He heard from behind him a cute sputtering of his neko and the sound of feet dashing up the stairs to get away from him. Haruka wondered that if he was in his bath… Would he come out with his scent? Haruka's heart thudded at the thought and quickly planned to keep the other over for the night, holding him. After fixing his dinner, he went upstairs to his room and picked out his biggest set of sweat pants and his biggest shirt so that when Rin put them on, the tightness wouldn't hurt him… then again the other could just sleep shirtless and that would solve both problems. Instantly sold on the idea, Haruka threw the shirt back into the closet and pulled out a spare pair of boxers that were still in the pack—since everyone knew he rarely ever wore them.

"Oi… Nanase, where are the towels?" Rin called from the bathroom and Haruka wondered just then if this was an okay idea after all considering that just beyond that door, Rin was probably naked… and wet… Haruka's pupils dilated though the rest of his face remained stoic—thankfully so—and he pulled an extra towel out. Unabashedly, he entered the bathroom which shocked Rin who had been rinsing off in the tub. He turned beet red and the raven watched with fascination as it trailed down his neck to his chest. "J-J-J-Just wh-what the h-hell do you think you're doing here Nanase?!" He yelled in the most flustered voice he's ever heard. Jeez, he must've ruffled his feathers more than he thought.

"I thought it would be okay since no one ever knocks when I'm in the bath," Rin just stared at him as if he'd grown a second head while he covered the nakedness that could clearly be seen through the clearness of the water and Haruka would be lying if he said that he didn't feel the slightest bit hot at seeing the other's rosy cheeks and flushed, wet skin while he vulnerably covered himself. But his plain stare must've disconcerted the other even more instead of relaxing him because he turned even redder.

"Baka! Even if no one knocks when you're in the bath you can't just burst into mine! And stop staring at me like you're fucking bored already!" He griped and Haruka did nothing but listen to his complaints, letting his lips lift a bit in amusement before he left the clothes and towel with Rin without a word.

After a reasonable period, the other came out with a cutely refreshed look on his face though he was still complaining about how much of a pervert Haruka was. Haruka noticed that the teen had yet to dry his hair, leaving it dripping water down his neck where it was protected by a towel but the other was still shirtless. Why wasn't he drying off his hair like any normal person? His neko was stranger than he thought, "You know you'll catch a cold if you stay like that." He pointed at his dripping hair and Rin raised an eyebrow,

"Che, like I'd catch a cold just from this. I'm hungry so I'll dry my hair later," Haruka sighed and got up to sit behind Rin who gulped down the rest of his food to see that Haruka was right behind him. He jumped and turned around swiftly, putting the towel over his head almost like he was protecting his hair, "No way. I'm not a kid Nanase, I don't need help drying my hair. Quit acting like I'm so damn incompetent." Haruka looked at him with a raised eyebrow and reached out anyway to touch the damp towel, letting himself look guiltily away from the other as he felt his cheeks become rosy under the other's accusations. He had to admit he was coddling him but Haruka couldn't help it. He felt like he was suffering all this time and all he wanted to do now was spoil Rin… or maybe he was spoiling himself by acting so touchy with his pet.

"I don't think you're incompetent. I just… I really missed you. It was really lonely without you here…" Rin's eyes widened and he blushed, looking away guiltily as he gently pulled his towel away muttering something about unfairness before shoving the cloth into his face and closing his eyes like he was getting ready for battle.

"Ugh… I'm... I….. Sorry…." He mumbled embarrassedly, making Haruka's heart do that strange fluttering that it had been doing all day. He didn't know why it was doing such a thing but he did know that he found the soft-spoken way he apologized to him cute. Taking the towel, he felt almost moved as he rubbed the fluffy thing over the other's head, making his hair feathery and soft when he touched it. This was another first. He never touched Rin's hair right after he got out of the shower, nor has he ever seen that relaxed expression the other had when he ran his fingers through his hair with utmost gentleness and he's never felt the animalistic shiver the other gave when he let his fingers drift to just under his chin. Haruka's heart raced when the other blearily opened his eyes and looked directly into his, "Ah… U-Um… well… Nanase, I should be sleeping soon…"

"I know… let's go upstairs," Haruka said, giving the other no time to debate as he tugged him up by his hand and led him up the stairs much like the last time they were in this room. He felt Rin's pulse thud beneath his fingertips and nearly chuckled under his breath, happy it wasn't just him that was like this—happy that it wasn't just his heart thudding for some mysterious reason. Rin also felt the way he felt when he was around him? Did he like it when Haruka touched him like this? They closed the door behind them and while Haruka was busy trying to push the other down, Rin was making an urgent face underneath him.

"Wait! I haven't… I haven't put it on yet…" Rin stammered, looking away from him to his jacket that was sitting on the dresser where he folded it. Haruka backed off slightly, feeling a bit frustrated as this had been the third time that Rin had wormed away from underneath him—whether because of injury or not. It was actually a bit annoying that Rin could still make him pause when Haruka's plan was still trying to go in motion. What could be so important that they had to stop now once they were finally in his bedroom like he planned?

"Put what on?"

Rin's blush deepened and he squirmed underneath him, making Haruka stiffen ever so slightly from the feeling of the other's hips sliding against his. Fuck… why did Rin always do the thing he least expects when he was underneath him? "Um… the… bruises. I'm supposed to put cream on them to make them go away faster…" Haruka was surprised at this development… well if it was that then Haruka could certainly make it work.

"It's in your jacket? Then I'll put it on," He nearly demanded, getting up and before he could object, he said, "Rin, this isn't me coddling you… I kind of just want to touch you right now. I don't know why, but I really feel like I'll be lonely if I don't." He unconsciously guilt tripped the other… well maybe not completely unconsciously but it got the job done and Rin let him take out the bottle of cream and come back on the bed. Most of the bruises were on his back from the surprise attack so he had Rin flip on his stomach and he straddled his thighs. He took the cream out and poured some on his hand, finding it surprisingly thick.

Rin flinched at the first touch of the purpling bruises on his back, making Haruka jerk his hand away to hover an inch from his skin—as if afraid to cause another bruise. A smooth apology came from his lips and Rin hesitantly nodded his head, signaling that it was okay to continue. Haruka let his long fingers barely skin over his muscular back, brushing over his spine and down light indent that trailed down the middle of his back. This time Rin shivered as his body practically melted into his touch, displaying his neko side again. He repeated the action and this time Rin hummed softly, Haruka's nearly jumped at the sign of satisfaction that seemingly came unconsciously from Rin. His fingers lingered on the heated skin of his lower back and Rin stiffened, his hand coming to his face to cover the blush that was rising there. Though Haruka could still see it on his neck and smirked softly behind him.

"Relax already. I'm going to be putting the cream on soon and it'll hurt if you're all tensed up while I rub it in," Haruka threatened as he teased the sensitive skin on the edge of his pants. Rin jumped and glanced at him, knowing that Haruka was teasing him. He reached around and lightly traced the side of Rin's hipbone, making him jerk and outright moan into his hand. Haruka raised an eyebrow as the neko downright purred underneath him, arching his back in pleasure and everything, "Oh? Is this a sensitive spot? You moaned quicker than you did before." He brushed over it again and Rin moaned louder, shuddering between his thighs.

"Sh-Shut up! E-Everyone has them, so stop messing with mine!" He growled, wiggling beneath him and Haruka's breath hitched as Rin's ass rubbed directly on his crotch. As he looked down to see the other teen actually shivering in his hold, his eyes darkened and the primal, animalistic feeling he'd felt that day returned. He thought that it was time to start putting the cream on. Haruka smeared the cream on his palms and let them flutter down to land on Rin's injured back. He rubbed Rin's back and marveled as Rin sighed and grunted under the light pressure of his finger rubbing the ointment into his skin. It wasn't long before he decided to go with his plan and leaned down while his hands smoothly massaged his hips his front nearly brushed the other's defenseless back and he whispered in his ear.

"Rin… you're mine aren't you?" He immediately rubbed at the dip his hips had that led to his sensitive lower belly, making him moan and twitch at his slick touch. He rubbed continuously at the sensitive skin there while he lavished the other's back in tender touches, spreading the cream over his back until he saw the other's face begin to turn pink. His eyelids drooped over his irises and he couldn't help as he licked his lips before kissing the other's neck.

"Wh…What are you talking about? A-And don't rub there! That's not—mph!" he buried his head in the pillow beneath him just as Haruka nibbled on his ear.

"You're mine to do this to? No one's ever touched you like this? You've never purred underneath someone like you have for me? Neko-chan…" Rin's hand began to shake as he felt Haruka's overwhelming presence over him, kissing and sucking at old marks, moving up his chest with those smooth fingers. It was almost like he was omnipotent when Rin helplessly squirmed against Haruka's crotch again and Haruka decided to give him a taste of revenge. He shifted his hips and rubbed right against his surprisingly supple ass. He thought that, like the rest of him, Rin's ass would also be all muscle and lines but it was firm and… and soft. The minute he rut against it, Haruka felt the knot of his control begin to slip and felt his cock come to life.

"What? You're… You're hard? What the hell, hah, Nanase?" Rin growled and tried to escape from his grasp only to grind his ass into his cock none too gently. What startled him more than that was to hear Rin's reaction. He jolted and moaned loudly, quaking underneath him. Haruka was amazed he had such a strong reaction as the other gripped the sheets tightly, tears returning to those stubborn eyes, "Ngh… fuck. G-Get off me! I-It's… I'm…"

"You're mine…" he purred into Rin's ear and flipped the shocked teen onto his back, easily parting his legs and returning to thrusting into his clothed ass. But he couldn't deal with just that, he wanted more… he wanted to touch more, feel him more… "Rin… you're mine…" he reached into Rin's sweats and found that he was also hard and hot beneath him. Rin jolted and sat up, shivering as Haruka pressed deeper into Rin's ass.

"Don't touch—ah!" He moaned loudly, looking into Haruka's murky blue eyes. He couldn't yield to Rin here, he couldn't stop his hands from wandering, feeling his smooth shaft, trailing down the throbbing vein to cup his balls. They were smooth and the skin was soft when he thumbed them, making Rin gasp and collapse on Haruka who let himself fall back. He found himself amused when he realized that the other was completely clear of hair and extremely smooth.

"You shave even here?" Haruka asked, raising a hand to play with his raised nipple. Rin arched above him, thrusting into his hand and Haruka's cheeks reddened slightly as he realized how hot that was. Rin shook his head in embarrassment, fisting the sheets on either side of his head even while he gasped because Haruka insensitively rubbed the pad of his thumb on the other's crying head.

"No… hah, stop this is… embarrassing… don't ask such stupid questions you pervert!" Haruka's pupils blew out even more and he lightly ran over Rin's nipple with his nail, "Ah! S…Sto…"

"I won't stop until you say you're mine," he said, moving his hand to the other's lower back and pushing so he sat just under his erection. Shuddering himself, Haruka took his own manhood out at the same time he took out Rin's and gasped when they touched, Rin's throbbing under his touch. He was hotter than he felt in his hand for some reason… maybe because he was feeling it with something different than a hand? Rin had collapsed just above his face, releasing a shaky whimper. The sight of him was more than a turn-on for Haruka who burned at seeing his flushed face and watery eyes. He couldn't stop his hips from thrusting enthusiastically into Rin, making Rin's back bow beautifully, "Say it." He commanded, starting a steady rhythm with his hand even though he unfairly concentrated on Rin by teasing his sensitive head, the other's face when he did so was more than enough for him.

He had to get the other to say it soon because this might be the only time he could hear it. When the other was at his mercy and couldn't do a thing to stop his hands for fear that the pleasure might stop, when his moans were the only thing he could hear besides his own frantic panting, Haruka had to use this moment to the fullest. Pulling him down, he captured his lips for the second time and slid his tongue easily into his mouth. Rin's kiss was sloppy because he was too busy trying to keep from cumming that his tongue was lazy against his. Haruka took full advantage of that and licked the sensitive parts of his tongue while avoiding the sharp razors he called teeth.

He felt the other rocking harder, his breathing getting more uneven and he let go of his own cock to squeeze the other's base much to his surprise when his pleasure suddenly subsided, "Nanase, wh-wha-ah! Ahhn!" Haruka moved his other hand to pump them both, his mouth going to the other's nipple. Rin quaked under his touch while his orgasm was cruelly denied, "Nanase… n-not there… no… hah, hah… ahh!" Haruka watched the other's tears collect at his lashes and kissed him once more, feeling them slide down his own cheek hotly.

"Say it, Rin…" He said with an almost sadistic gleam in his eye, "Say you belong to me…"

Rin dropped his head so their foreheads touched and his eyes begged for what Haruka wouldn''t give. His hips could only stutter his plea while Haruka watched those red eyes become more and more unfocussed while he cried above him, "Nanase—"

"Say it," He pumped more intensely, staring at him and leaving him unable to stare away while he watched the other crumble under his fingertips.

"Please, hah, let me—"

"Rin," his own cock twitched at the sight above him and he could already tell that he was close even without the other touching him. Just torturing him was hot enough for him. He kissed him one last time almost painfully and with just as much desperation as he. The other could only began to sob while clutching frantically at his shirt.

"I, hic, belong… ah! T-T-To… Ha…Haru…ka…" he cried onto his lips and at the moan of his name… his first name… he lost it. Letting go of Rin, they orgasmed at the same time, Rin trembling with the intensity of his and Haruka's was no less powerful as he threw his head back and shuddered, moaning softly into the other's mouth. He could've sworn at that time… his heart stopped at the pleasure of it all.

He floated back to reality and saw Rin breathing heavily on his chest, their cum spread onto his shirt and Haruka rolled them over to throw the shirt away and once more make use of Nagisa's napkins to clean them up. Rin looked too out of it to even consider going to clean himself up and the way he just stared at him with those sleepy red eyes, sluggish from their activities… Haruka huffed out a laugh and kissed the bridge of his nose. Rin, though he hated being taken care of, always made him feel a certain pleasurable responsibility when he was like this.

"You were a good kitty. Thank you," He said and Rin blushed, burying his face lazily into his pillow and having no objections to Haruka sliding in behind him to hold him. Once again, everything felt right and he felt alive when he held Rin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WWWAAAAHHH I love this chapter!!! Possessive!Haruka makes my ovaries bleed rainbows!


	15. What Do I Feel For Him?

Dark lashes fluttered over pale cheeks as Haruka felt a slight shift in bed that certainly didn't come from him. A hazy blue iris was exposed as the slightly translucent skin of his eyelids retracted and Haruka nearly closed them again when they were met with a startling red that he was oddly beginning to get used to seeing in the mornings. As his vision focused, he began to see clearly the delicate slope of the other's jaw, the long fringe of scarlet lashes that tickled his cheeks and hid expressive irises, the petal pink lips that were just the slightest bit swollen from last night… an uncomfortable sense of warmth spread through him, making his chest feel full and his stomach fluttery. Rin must've moved from the position he was in last night from being cuddled from behind by Haruka to rolling on top of him, his hands clutching at Haruka's shoulders while his head was nuzzled in the crook of his neck.

Haruka felt the dash of warm air that escaped Rin every time he exhaled and felt incredibly hot with the other shirtless teen resting on his naked chest. Their skin buzzed with a pleasant heat when they touched and he wondered if Rin got into this cuddling position on purpose. Their legs were intertwined and when he turned to look at Rin who was dangerously close, he couldn't help but notice the utterly serene face the other had on… like he was the most relaxed he's ever been. A huff escaped Haru's lips and he hugged the other back, his own cool hands resting on the other's damaged back. Things were completely peaceful with Rin so comfortably in his grasp, his red hair spilling over his dark hair and intertwining. He was heavy and huge but Haruka found himself thinking that this wasn't a bad way to wake up every day. But, he already knew that he and Rin would have to get to school today even though it was Friday.

He gently ran a finger down the other's smooth spine, his fingers lingering to brush the other's sensitive hip and lower back. The neko above him cutely flinched and hummed in pleasure, arching languidly into him and even sighing in content while nuzzling his shoulder. Haruka blushed at how comfy Rin was just laying on him and resolved to use this for future ridicule and reference just to remove his own embarrassment. "Rin, get up we have to go to school. I want to take a bath," he said plainly even though he wouldn't really mind bringing this drowsy Rin back with him to the tub. He wasn't really attempting to move the large cat from his body but he was acknowledging the fact that they had to get up. That was enough wasn't it? If Rin got angry at him later, it was his own fault.

"Mm… Haruka… don't pet me... not a neko…" he mumbled into Haruka's shoulder while he sleepily rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up on his lap with his bedhead making his hair fling all over the place and his sweats drooping precariously low on his hips. He really could imagine Rin's tail swaying happily while he purred atop him, wordlessly showing affection. But what really got him… was the fact that he was still saying his name. The deep, husky voice that was still laced with sleep curled around his first name enticingly and Haruka blushed at hearing it—never had his name sounded so obscene before. With this in mind, Haruka felt like he couldn't help himself and softly rolled atop the other who was still drowsy. He took advantage of the other's defenselessness and kissed him, snaking his tongue slowly inside while he licked at the other's lax tongue, his own tongue prodding and nudging it to coax Rin into kissing back. Underneath him Rin gasped at the slow kiss, his trembling hands pushing at his bare chest while he blushed a deeper red as each second passed. A thought flew through Haruka's head that Rin really wasn't good at kissing in the morning with his tongue so jerky and hesitant but Haruka excused it since he was cute this morning.

Gasping desperately, Rin pushed him away and flew back into the pillows with a dazed and dizzy expression as he panted harshly and glared at him with bleary eyes, "Y-You…" he hissed with his hands on Haruka's chest balling in his anger at practically suffocating him. Haruka was at least glad his blush had gone down from before. That redhead was too dangerous for his own good but he liked to think that he was maybe getting used to it. He'd just punish the redhead like this whenever he couldn't take the cute behavior anymore. The neko had asked for it in his opinion what with calling his name and crawling atop him. Nekos had to take responsibility at times too. Haruka just stared at him plainly while he watched as Rin tried to push him off but failed miserably because of his sleepiness and the one working wrist. He wondered if the other had low blood pressure in the mornings since he was always so utterly effortless to push down at this time.

Haruka, despite usually being a reasonable person, decided to milk the situation for all it was worth with the excuse of having Rin withdrawals for so long that he wanted to make up for lost time, "What? It's your fault. I told you to get up but you kept purring and rubbing up against me." He kissed the redhead again who was becoming even more embarrassed as Haruka again took the liberty to take dominance in the kiss, "I assume you want to be like this when you do that you know, do you not like it?" the raven questioned even while he laved open-mouthed kisses down his throat and collar bone. He wasn't sucking to make a hickey but just instead just doing whatever he wanted to him since for once he was fully able to—yes, Rin was definitely nice like this. Rin gasped below him when he licked just the right spot behind his ear that he knew about and purposely rubbed the sensitive part of his back lightly to make him arch into him.

"Nn… mn… i-it's not fu-fucking fair to a-ask when you're… when you're doing this… stop it already, we have to go to…damn it… we have to go to school, hah, shit, hah… ngh…" he retorted that roughly even as he instinctively wrapped his legs around his waist while Haruka traced the edge of his sweats and dipped his hand slightly beneath to touch smooth skin, "Fuck! Stop it… Haruka…" he froze at his name being used in that complaining, breathless voice and looked to him with amazed eyes that shone with his own happiness as he blushed in front of the neko who he also saw was red in the face. So he was embarrassed too… at using his name… "You're… blushing? Heh, see I told you using first names was embarrass—ah… stop it already! Fucking animal! Quit it!" he yelled Haruka irately who had taken the liberty of squeezing the other's ass through the boxer briefs he'd given him before using all of his strength to pull Haruka to him and bite his shoulder.

However, because of his apparent weakness to mornings, the other couldn't even bite him hard enough to break skin and Haruka almost found himself smiling at the other's attempts, "It's because you're so sluggish right now, that bite didn't even hurt just then… so you're kind of cute, it's almost like you're being playful." Rin seemed to have had enough of Haruka making fun of his lack of power and looked ready to attempt hitting him until suddenly, his unlocked bedroom door opened and a tall, green-eyed brunette walked in with a concerned look that turned to shock in an instant. Makoto caught them red-handed. Rin's shock broke before Makoto's and he looked extremely embarrassed underneath him but Haruka just couldn't help but think it was around the time that he should tell Makoto what was really going on before he jumped to some strange conclusion without his consent. What if he accused them of being boyfriends or lovers again? Though he had to admit, he had quite the strange relationship with the neko below him now that Haruka made him say he belonged to him.

He really hadn't even known that he was that possessive. But, at that time he felt that it needed to be said so he made him say it. Rin didn't act too unusual this morning either, only being a bit cuddlier than he usually is and calling him Haruka… he sighed and buried his head in Rin's heated shoulder to hide his happy face. He really was glad that Rin was back with him. When he held him, Haruka felt relieved like he was getting concrete proof that indeed Rin was still with him. Rin probably had no idea how happy he was before when he gave in and yielded to him. He felt that if Rin belonged to him then another tie would bind them, making Rin unable to slip away… even though at this point he was fully aware that the closer he got to Rin, the more painful separation was. He felt that if he could just keep him close and safe with him… smiling and swimming freely… ugh Rin was infecting him with his sappiness and the sweetness was going to give him a cavity if he kept thinking about it.

His muscled body flexed as he rolled his shoulders and reluctantly let go of the larger teen who covered his body with the blankets before Makoto could see the injuries, "Get ready for school, I'll talk to Makoto so you can be alone. I take it you called your sister to bring your clothes yesterday?" Rin tensed and glared at Haruka as if he insulted him.

"Tch, of course I did, don't discredit me that much Haruka," a scowl decorated the teen's face and the seemingly emotionless male turned his head away, trying to ignore how much his heart throbbed pleasantly at the casual use of his name—even though Rin looked utterly absurd blushing so hard just to say his name. Haruka thought he might as well clean up while Makoto talked to him and gestured for the tallest teen to follow him into the bathroom where he began to nonchalantly brush his teeth.

* * *

Makoto genuinely thought this would be a good day. Though he wasn't one to plan terribly far ahead, he actually had it all laid out in front of him for once. He'd been thinking about it all night, this plan. Well actually he'd been pondering over it since Haru ran out of the room so suddenly yesterday. He wanted to go after him… he really did but then sensei came in and he knew he wouldn't be able to move with her there and he could only watch as Haru walked in the complete opposite direction of the school. Even more alarmingly the other didn't come to practice, it was unreal in itself that Haru would ever give up a chance to swim. When the other didn't even come in halfway through practice, Makoto was really about to run over to Haru's house and demand he tell him what was wrong with him.

Though oddly enough it was Nagisa who stopped him. He assumed that because it was Nagisa that he would automatically want to find out what was wrong with Haru like he would. After all out of all of them it was quite the competition between him and Kou-san to see exactly who was nosier out of the two. But Nagisa had an almost frighteningly serious look when he stared into his eyes with those seemingly innocent pink ones. Nagisa had only told him that it would be a mistake to go after Haru at this point because even if he wanted to make him feel better… most likely the only thing Haru wanted at this time was to be alone. He had wanted to deny it, he wanted to say that since he was his best friend it would be a great idea for him to comfort Haru in whatever he was feeling but even he knew that Nagisa was right this time around and reluctantly left Haru alone for the rest of the day as he thought… how could he get Haru to pay attention to what was right in front of him.

He thought that since the "unknowing competition" was nowhere to be found at the moment that this was the prime time to try and do so. He'd been trying for the past few days of Matsuoka's absence. He'd been beside Haru the entire time, when Haru would stubbornly stay in the bath so he didn't have to go to school, he gently led him out of the tub. He was the one who had been forcing Haru to properly eat his meals for the past few days, monitoring him so he'd eat at least most of it—regardless Haru had lost weight. He tried to get the other to relax and swim but he still stared after the fading shadow that was Matsuoka Rin and he was getting so tired of losing to that guy when he obviously loved Haru more than him! Makoto would never leave Haru for a woman or man. He'd never just disappear and leave the other uncharacteristically worried because Makoto liked it when Haru was a bit clueless, a bit oblivious because that just meant he wasn't distressed. He liked Haru when he was happy and swimming, not spiraling into depression because one guy had been gone for his life for a few days.

He knew by now… he had to be drastic with what he said he was going to do. He could no longer trust that Haru would get lingering glances or light touches. Instead he had to be a bit more aggressive in his pursuing of Haru. If he wanted to hug Haru, he should hug him or if Haru asked him why he was being weird, he should be flirtier and say that he wanted to touch him this way too. Maybe he could even tease him—would Haru blush? That would be adorable if he did. Makoto woke early and bushy-tailed despite being up for a good portion of the night trying to talk himself into being so uncharacteristically bold. He was already preparing himself for his first attack of perhaps lifting Haru out of his bath with both hands—one helping Haru out and the other on the other's back to "steady" him.

Everything seemed completely normal when he knocked on the door only for Haru not to answer. He didn't hear any noises and the floor was bare where he'd caught the Matsuoka and Haru practically flirting on the ground after obviously sleeping there together. He gave a breath of relief seeing as the space was completely empty without a pillow or mussed blanket in sight. When he walked up the silent hallways and turned to the bathroom, he expected to see Haru sitting calmly in the tub like he'd been doing this past week with a slight frown on his face and dull, faraway eyes that even Makoto couldn't read… but there wasn't the sound of water lightly splashing against the rim of the porcelain tub and there was no Haru to be found which Makoto honestly found alarming.

He tried to calm himself down because maybe the other was still sleeping—there was one day he found Haru like that on his bed with that vacant look on his face. "Haru!" He called into the large house, cupping a hand by his lips as if that would amplify his voice, "Haru, I'm coming in!" he placed a hand on the doorknob, opening the door to see a sight he'd never expect. He thought things were going well… but then why were there another set of legs wrapped around what was clearly Haru's naked waist. The sickening sounds of light smacks that could only come from two lips kissing filled the air as well as Haru's voice, dreamily husky from sleep and soft like Makoto had never had the privilege to hear. He'd never heard Haru speak so warmly except for in his fantasies when he spoke the occasional sweet nothing to him in his ear… but even without Haru saying something sweet still… he sounded completely captured by whoever was beneath him.

Makoto felt his heart squeeze when Haru noticed him and turned to reveal him and his mystery lover only for Makoto's heartache to turn to rage at who this lover was. Matsuoka? He thought he was done with that loudmouth redhead. Didn't he have a girlfriend? Didn't he leave Haru to go play with her for days, leaving him in depression? And now he was back? He came crawling back in a single night and Haru just accepted him? He felt the achingly familiar rush of hatred and jealousy towards the male below the raven who was just stringing Haru along and blinding him to all his other options! It was his fault that Haru just wouldn't look at him! All Matsuoka had to do was break up with his girlfriend and go to Haru to get him? No, why should Haru have to chase after Matsuoka's coattails?

It was obvious what they were doing. Their lips were both red, wet and swollen from the kissing they'd been doing before. Matsuoka had more marks covering his neck and it was incriminatingly wet from Haru's kisses and licks… A stab of raw anger hit him because it wasn't him that had gotten lavished in Haru's wonderful attentions and affection. Instead it was Matsuoka, who Haru hadn't even known for an entire year. He even had the nerve to look embarrassed, like he wasn't the one pulling Haru around. Like he was the helpless one! It made him utterly sick and he fought with himself to not run from the situation at hand and take Haru with him. Who knows what kind of things he persuaded Haru into doing? And pulling the blanket up to his chin like some kind of innocent virgin while blushing like that wouldn't trick Makoto—he could see the satisfaction in his eyes from here. There was definitely something weird with their relationship and he definitely wouldn't let it come to pass.

Even as Haru calmly walked past him, he just knew something wasn't right between them and Makoto would use that to his advantage to tip the scale over to his side. There was no way he'd just hand Haru over to that idiot. "Haru… do you know what you're doing?" He began cautiously, not wanting to put the other on the defensive since he knew better than anyone that once Haru was defensive you weren't going to get anything from him afterwards. It was even worse if you accidentally offended him because he'd just give you a chillingly cold shoulder. But Haru just calmly brushed his teeth and washed his face, waiting for him to elaborate. "Look Haru, I know you said that he's your… neko and everything but… Haru there are just some things that you just don't do with friends or nekos that you're doing with Matsuoka. And besides that Matsuoka has a girlfriend who he's been seeing for the past few days right? So it would be wrong to do… well that kind of stuff with someone like him. Even if Matsuoka says it's okay, you also have to consider what you want as well right? You have to be aware, Haru," he practically lectured in a parental tone of voice as Haru got out his clothes an turned to him with a look that asked 'are you done?'.

"Makoto, Rin doesn't have a girlfriend. He wasn't staying with anyone over the last few days and it was impossible to call or use his cell phone where he was at. Besides Rin is… different so I can do that kind of thing with him," Haru said, dismissing every piece of evidence he gave not to do H things with Matsuoka with incredibly flimsy reasoning! It was probably the same bullshit that Matsuoka told him when he was seducing him! Matsuoka is different? What kind of lame excuse was that? Makoto sweatdropped at how gullible Haru was to believe such terrible deceit. Fine then, if he was going to believe lies then there was nothing he could do about that. But, there was one thing he did need to confirm about this entire mess.

"Haru… how do you feel about Matsuoka?" Haruka blinked in surprise at that question. He was ready for more protests by Makoto saying that he wasn't ready for these kind of relations and that he should do those things with someone he loved but… to ask how he felt about Rin? Well it was obvious that he was quite fond of him… and he did find him attractive but what about it? When he's asked such a question, he can't help but try to compare it to something else that he's felt before for reference but when he remembers how he feels when he's with the other… he runs out of words. His mind goes blank or maybe it… goes numb? All he could do was remember a warm feeling that rapidly spread through body, it felt similar to when his grandmother hugged him but completely different. All Rin had to do laugh and he felt like that. And when he held him or especially when he kissed him, he couldn't even think of anything that felt as good as that. It was like swimming on dry land. Everything he felt when the water embraced him was amplified and he couldn't help but come back for more. He's never felt anything like it before, the sensation of Rin hugging around his neck, the fluttery feeling in the pit of his stomach when Rin was flustered and trying to gain control again… ah just thinking about it made him want to rush in and do more of what they did yesterday.

Makoto couldn't help but think that this was bad. This was horribly, horribly bad. As soon as he mentioned how he felt about Matsuoka Haru got that look in his eye. It was that deep azure look made him feel like he couldn't breathe well… like he was drowning but oh so sweetly. The longer he looked into those dazed eyes, the more he wanted him. But, then the more he wanted him, the more he realized that those murky blue eyes were looking right past him and not at him. That look was not intended for him, not those dimly sparkling irises that looked almost longing, "I don't know how I feel when I'm with Rin… I've never felt anything close to it before. But I know that I like how we are now… so it can't be all that bad." He looked up at him with resolved eyes and Makoto panicked a bit, because he knew Haru and knew for a fact that he wasn't one that left questions half-finished. He'd find out what his feelings were and he'd run to Matsuoka instead of him! That was the one thing he could never accept. Not when he'd been by his side as perfect boyfriend material for years. Not when he worked so hard to support and love Haru… it was natural for them to be going out by now wasn't it?

Haruka left Makoto outside while he went inside his own room to see Rin fumbling to put something on though he was fully dressed already. Haruka inspected the way Rin's movements hurried and the way he cursed under his breath, finding it funny. "Rin, what are you doing?" He asked and the other jumped, turning to see him with an embarrassed look. Haruka caught the discreet way Rin attempted to slide his tie off and turned his head, a choked huff escaping his lips that captured Rin's attention.

"D-Did you just laugh at me? Asshole! I… just because I'm having trouble with this damn tie…" Rin gave him a dirty look and Haruka desperately tried to choke down his amusement. Rin was so smart yet he had trouble doing the simplest of things… though maybe it was because of his hurt wrist that he was having trouble?

"Who ties your tie before you get to school?" he asked as he came closer to Rin and smoothly removed his hands to begin folding the other's tie in the right formation. He smoothed out the wrinkles that the redhead's frustrated hands created and pulled it so it rested loosely around his neck and looked up a bit to the taller teen's pink face. He scowled freely at the raven and sighed,

"G…Gou…" he mumbled and Haruka had to hold himself back from laughing again because the image of Gou happily helping her brother who would probably look around frantically for witnesses was just too hilarious. The other seemed to catch this as he growled and tugged away from him as soon as he finished tying and exited the room to presumably brush his teeth while he muttered about how annoying the raven was. Haruka just sighed and slipped on his own uniform easily while his mind lingered longer on why he felt so warm around Rin even when he was bad-tempered like that.

The walk to school was filled with chatter that mostly resided on Makoto's side while he talked to Haruka. Rin was silent on the way there, rubbing his eyes and yawning as the lack of sleep finally got to him. Haruka assumed he would feel it sometime too but he was much too engrossed by watching the shark turn and glare at him huffily—he assumed for snatching the bit of sleep the redhead had planned to get. He also wondered about whether or not Rin would actually bring up the fact that Haruka made him say he was his. He was almost sure the other would've taken a swipe at him by now but he was being uncharacteristically calm about the entire thing…

Haruka had no time to inquire about Rin's silence over the matter because when they got to school, everyone seemed to be abuzz. The three boys who just walked in were confused when they saw a crowd of teens by the bulletin board that had before been filled with nothing but scraps of leftover advertisements. Though when peered at a bit closer it was obvious they were crowding around a particular poster, however, no one could read it—even Makoto with his superior height. This problem was soon remedied when Nagisa bounded from the crowd, a bit ruffled but fine, along with the flushed and flustered Rei. The beam the blonde had at the moment was blinding and he all but shouted over the commotion.

When Nagisa caught sight of him, he cried out with happiness and tackled him in an embrace. Haruka looked over his shoulder and felt a strange pang when saw that Rin bit his lip lightly to hide how much that probably hurt, especially when Nagisa squeezed him so tightly, "Rin-Rin! We missed you so much! Where were you? We were worried! Especially Haru-cha—" he was interrupted by Haruka's tugging him off of Rin. He absolutely wouldn't suffer that humiliation. Though he had told Rin how he'd missed him, h didn't want Nagisa to rub in the fact that he was practically mooning over him in a daze for the days he was missing. He originally hadn't planned to tell him at all but when he saw him and had him over his house like they always were… the relief was so great he'd actually gotten careless. He didn't regret it much but he certainly didn't want to make Rin cocky. Besides, Nagisa's bear hugs hurt on normal days. It had to have been killing Rin to keep quiet.

"That's enough of that Nagisa," he said softly but firmly, briefly checking over to Rin who was holding his injured side lightly. His eyes turned a bit sympathetic as his fingers twitched to help him soothe the pained side but he was sure the other would probably hate that considering how he hadn't even wanted anyone to know he was hurt. Rin was always so selfish like that, not wanting everyone to worry over him so he'd take leave unprecedentedly just to cover it up. But he supposed the other could be called considerate for that too… but he just didn't like the fact that Rin spent days alone in the hospital with no one there out of sheer pride. He was broken out of his quickly turning thoughts by the bubbly Nagisa's chanting of his name.

"Rin-chan, Mako-chan, Haru-chan! This is great!" he laughed happily, going back to Rei's side, "There's a school trip coming up! We're going camping so we can find out the fundamental of nature and relax before the upcoming exams!" Everyone's eyes widened in surprise. An overnight trip? This was unexpected, but not at all unwanted. Makoto took it as a blessing from above for an obvious chance to get closer to Haru! Maybe they would share a tent, or maybe they could share s'mores by the fireside! Makoto felt giddy just thinking about it since on the way here he was brutally ignored by Haru who subtly flirted with the idiot redhead next to him while they walked. He almost wanted to put his arm around Haru if that wasn't so obviously suspicious… besides he didn't want to get rejected in front of his rival of all people.

"An overnight trip? Wow, that sounds fun. Right Haru?" He looked toward Haru who looked a little bored with the entire idea. He should've known… even with Haru's recent changes there are some things that will never change. Surely Haru wouldn't be excited about going anywhere where there was no chance to go swimming. "We… we at least don't have to wear the uniforms and we get to… do other things that we aren't really used to right?" He tried a bit awkwardly to get Haru to gain a bit of enthusiasm for the trip—otherwise he'd definitely never get to get closer to him.

Suddenly Rin laughed and slung his arm over Haru's shoulders with an ease that made Makoto envious, especially at Haru's adorably surprised reaction at his shark-like grin, "Haruka, cheer up! It'll be fun, even if there's no swimming. A change of pace is nice every once in a while." Everyone paused at hearing the easy way Rin said Haru's first name… his full first name. Though there was a slight blush on his face, Rin seemed almost like he'd been using Haru's name for years now with the way it just rolled off his tongue. But mostly, everyone was shocked at Haru who said nothing about the other saying his name when they all knew that Haru actually hated having his full name said by unfamiliar people. While Rei and Gou called him 'Haruka-senpai', they've known him through swimming for almost twice the time Rin has known him. It was simply because Haru hated how girly his first name sounded—he always has honestly—and would actually rather everyone call him Nanase instead. But here the raven was letting Rin call him by only his first name and drape himself over him, comfortably fitting his head on the shorter teen's shoulder. It didn't escape everyone either that Haru freely called the redhead Rin and didn't object in the slightest to Rin's touch.

Nagisa was truly shocked. Just how much had Haru-chan changed in the past few months for him to just take all of this in stride? There wasn't even a look of disapproval on his face but rather, it was almost like he welcomed Rin-chan's touchiness. Just a few weeks ago, Haru-chan had made it clear that he was uncomfortable with Rin-chan touching him… what happened between them? And when the redhead turned to them, his hair parted over his neck and there were fresh, bright as day, newly formed hickey on his pulse point… they looked like they had just been done the night before—he'd know since oftentimes he did the same to Rei-chan. But they all seemed to have come together and Mako-chan seemed like he was once more tense around Rin-chan… there was a key point missing in all of this, he just knew it. But there was one thing that he was absolutely sure of and that was that there was most definitely something going on between Haru-chan and Rin-chan.

Haruka 'tsked' and pushed the other's arm off gently while turning to go into the class room. It wasn't that he was down about it… but he just knew that with everyone there, there would be a significantly smaller chance of him getting to do anything with Rin. Besides that he also couldn't help but be worried about "roughing it" in the woods because Rin was already hurt. He'd been hospitalized for days and really what he needed now was some proper rest, ironic of him to say since he deliberately deprived him of rest yesterday but the point still stood. What if he hurt himself more? Running a hand through his hair, he quietly sat at his desk, trying not to worry about that idiot neko. He shouldn't be so worried in the first place but he already knew that such things couldn't really by helped. Not when it was Rin.

How do you really feel about Matsuoka? Haruka stiffened lightly as Makoto's question rang in his head. He looked at Rin from the corner of his eye who was still ever so diligently taking notes to Ama-sensei's lecture. However, it was different than before when he did so. He tried to gingerly write so as to not put too much pressure on his forearms—where Haruka had noticed before had faded, hand-shaped bruises on them. He was also stiff in his seat so as to not agitate the bruises that he'd gotten before, he could also see from his seat where the five broken and beaten up boys glared hatefully at Rin and where that cursed Sawada-san stared longingly at the redheaded male. The mixed emotions, familiar and unfamiliar, welled up in his chest and he couldn't help feeling the overwhelming urge to just silence the thoughts in his mind and daydream again. But for once, he wondered if that would actually be the best course of action… all of these questions were in his mind, half-answered… was it right to just leave it?

As he sat in deep thought all day, he was almost surprised when it was time to go practice. The others were just talking about the camping trip they were to have in officially two days because they wanted the entire week for camping for whatever reason. But when he finally joined the world of the living, he noticed Rin dragging his feet. Well of course he would drag his feet. To be in front of the pool, just staring at everyone swimming and having fun… it would be just like before he was on the team. And without his pillow, he knew that Rin wouldn't be able to sleep practice away like he would probably want to. A frown gently tugged at his lips when he just sat down calmly by the gate where he used to sit, not daring to lie his injured side on the hard concrete.

"Rin-chan, why aren't you changing into your swimming clothes?" Nagisa asked and Rin looked away with a flustered face, clearly not wanting to hear that question the most. Haruka froze along with him and looked at the redhead, wondering what the excuse would be.

"Um… I'm just not… feeling up to it," he said, not exactly lying because of his body but anyone could tell by the anticipation in his eyes that Rin was dying to swim. To tell the truth, Haruka was actually a bit disappointed as well that he wouldn't get to race with Rin again and feel the electrifying currents of his energy while pushing himself to the limit to beat him. Rin was injured and wouldn't get to swim for a week or two with those bruises and that wrist. The other's looked dubious at the excuse but Rin said no more so they were forced to drop the issue at hand and leave the redhead on the concrete to stare at the waves.

Rei watched in amazement as Haruka-senpai just left Rin-senpai alone with the piece of an excuse he just gave them. He didn't expect Haruka-senpai to pry into it like it was clear that Nagisa-kun wanted to do but he didn't expect him to just give in on the entire situation altogether. It was Haruka-senpai who wanted the redhead on the team in the first place. Though even more surprising when he watched the raven, who was always so eager to get into the water that he just stripped off and plunged into the depths without a second thought, actually take the time to slowly walk to the dressing room and even undress normally like everyone else. It was almost too slow… almost like the other was reluctant to get into the water. But that was impossible, there was nothing that Haruka-senpai loved more than swimming so then why did he seem to crawl through his movements?

Makoto also watched the other strangely, seeing that his behavior was fairly off from how he normally was. Despite his usual habit of jumping into water whenever he had the slightest chance, Haru was the last to step foot in the pool. Even when Matsuoka wasn't here, he was always the first to get in the pool and the last to leave; that was always a constant. No one loved water more than Haru. But Haru was lagging terribly today. Makoto noticed how tense he was when he swam, his body jerky with each of his movements and he was going slower than he'd ever seen. Makoto was almost worried that Haru had gotten hurt somehow and that was what was responsible for the unstable motions and he was about to go confront the raven about his swimming when he suddenly saw Matsuoka coming over to where Haru was. Makoto's breath halted and he tensed. No, he absolutely couldn't be the one to confront Haru, it had to be him. He wasn't the one who had been watching out for him for years, he wasn't the one who knew him like the back of his hand, he wasn't the best friend. That was his job. No matter how close Haru got to him that would always be his job to be the first one concerned about him and the last one left doting over him. His mouth opened to call out to Haru and their voices meshed together when they called at the same time,

"Haruka!" the smaller teen stopped as he seemed to hear them but when he looked up from the water, Makoto's fists clenched underwater because Haru didn't ask what they wanted. He said nothing to acknowledge the fact that he'd called for him too. Instead the blue-eyed boy took his gear off and looked up to Rin who looked needlessly angry with him. Makoto felt his heart chill icily when Rin glared at Haru like he was being stupid. Was he even worried about him?

"Oi, Haruka, what the hell? Your swimming sucks today. Mou, how do you expect to keep up with everyone if you're lagging like this? What's wrong with you?" Matsuoka growled irritably, like it was a personal offense that Haru was swimming so slowly. Makoto opened his mouth to tell him not to talk to Haru like that… that Haru didn't deserve to be scolded by the likes of him that didn't swim because he wasn't feeling up to it. What a fucking bullshit excuse! He was clearly up to fucking around with Haru this morning! He was just being lazy! But, before he could spew all of this from his mouth… Haru unknowingly cut him off by slapping a hand on the concrete on the side of Matsuoka and… was he… no… no, no, no! He couldn't be!

Matsuoka quirked and eyebrow and held his hand out, supporting Haru in the place he always had to be the one that helped Haru out. To be the only one his hand held out to… Once Haru was out, he kept a hold of the redhead's hand and dragged him to where he was sitting before, the gesture made Makoto uncomfortable like a knife of betrayal was stuck through his back. Grabbing his towel silently, Haru dried himself off much to everyone's confusion, even Gou who had been looking upon the scene from her usual perch but was again fangirling at the azure eyed boy's beautiful, lean muscles. Strangely he left his hair wet and sat on the concrete while he tugged on the redhead's hand… that sickeningly sweet gesture that Makoto desperately wanted to share with Haru.

Makoto watched as Matsuoka sat closely beside his Haru due to the accursed attachment of their hands—an image that would haunt Makoto as long as he lived. Unnoticed, he swam to the edge of the pool to watch them closer along with Rei and Nagisa who were also confused about this development. After they finally let go of each other's hands, Haru shoved the towel in Matsuoka's face and said, "Dry my hair." Eh? What did Haru mean? He always insisted on doing his own hair! He'd never suddenly want the redhead to do something like baby him by drying his hair for him! Always batting Makoto away when he attempted to lovingly dry the other's soft hair… why did Matsuoka get those wide blue eyes looking at him stubbornly to do it for him?

"E-Eh? Why? You've got two hands, do it yourself!" He growled irately, making Makoto's eye twitch especially when Haru fucking nuzzled his shoulder playfully with his damp hair to make the redhead jump in surprise. Who would debate against drying Haru's hair especially when he was even acting cute about asking? He hated how persistent Matsuoka was in being an ungrateful jerk while he hated even more how persistent Haru was in getting the other to do his bidding. "J-Jerk! Stop that! You're wet, don't get me wet too!"

"Dry my hair off and this wouldn't be a problem. I did the same for you before," Haru pushed, making Nagisa and the other's gasp. Before? As in Haru-chan had actually put in the effort to do something someone else could easily do for them? He watched in amazement as Haru-chan calmly persuaded the redhead who was getting more and more flustered and frustrated by the second to dry him until Rin-chan finally relented and rubbed his hair dry. He could even recognize how satisfied the other looked once he finally got Rin-chan to do what he asked. Nagisa was sure… there was definitely something going on between them… but… it couldn't be. It sounded strange even to his own ears.

"Haru-chan! Why are you drying your hair? Aren't you coming back into the pool?" It was already a feat in itself that Haru-chan had left the pool just to go bother Rin-chan. But the raven looked as if he planned to get comfy there. Gou came down the stairs as if to see if her eyes weren't lying to her when the pale boy shook his head, relaxing against her brother. "You… aren't?" There was another shake of the head and Gou could tell that her brother was beginning to get pissed at Haruka-senpai. After all, her brother was the one who respected Haruka-senpai's swimming the most. But as the sharp-toothed teen opened his mouth to question why, Haruka-senpai turned to look straight at the redhead and said,

"It's… not the same… the water doesn't feel the same… so I don't want to swim," Makoto paled as if he'd just seen someone get shot in front of him, Nagisa and Rei's jaws dropped in shock, and Gou blushed brightly because it was obvious what Haruka was saying. It was blatantly obvious to all of them. I don't want to swim if Rin's not there. Over the time that her onii-chan had joined the swim team… before she'd honestly thought that Haruka-senpai was her onii-chan's friend. But after he joined… when she saw the spark of light that entered either boy's eyes when each other was in sight, when she saw that Rin was making an effort again because of Haruka-senpai… when she saw how much they inspired the other and strove to push each other and how close they'd gotten… she knew it wasn't friendship she was seeing. That kind change and reaction was the only kind that could happen when one meets their soul mate. She probably was the first one to know but she could tell that by now, when Haruka-senpai forcibly pulled her objecting onii-chan's head to rest on his shoulder, Nagisa was alsonquite knowledgeable about the pure fact that Haruka definitely liked Rin.

She was a bit shocked though when Makoto-senpai stepped out of the pool as well. Without his shirt, Gou could not only see his deliciously defined back but the tenseness in his shoulders when he sat firmly next to Haruka-senpai who looked almost comically unaffected by his presence, like he hadn't noticed when he sat down. A part of her actually did wonder if he knew that Makoto-senpai was right next to him with the absorbed way he looked at her brother who did seem to be reluctantly getting cutely comfortable on his shoulder. Though his face may be blank, anyone could see the sparkle Haruka-senpai had in his eye when he lightly played with his hair—too engrossed to notice they were all watching, or uncaring. But with that it was also very obvious to see Makoto-senpai's look of pure sadness when he watched the scene from the sidelines, unnoticed by either. As if they were in their own world…

* * *

Days passed quickly after that like they were also anticipating the camping trip everyone would take. But, Haruka definitely knew he was probably the least excited about it. He and Rin intelligently packed tonight so that they would be ready for the next day and Haruka once again had Rin sleep over on account of it being easier to track the non-morning person to get up when they were supposed to get picked up by the bus. It was late at this point and they were laying in his bed—a development made by the bruised and complaining Rin who was no longer nervous about being there with him since they actually slept—and he was facing Rin with his arms around him silently while the other attempted not to get embarrassed at the attention. He felt disappointed that he wouldn't get to stare at this sight for an entire week and he wouldn't get to feel unbearably warm from the other's body heat. The redhead mumbled quietly to himself and squirmed unconsciously a bit closer to Haruka. He'd been acting like this all night, unsure and not even crabby like he usually is. He seemed to have a nervous air around him.

"H…Haruka… um…" the redhead tentatively raised his eyes to Haruka's half-lidded ones, the red irises shifty and much less confident than they usually were. What was he going to ask? Was it that nerve wrecking? He waited for the other silently while he seemed to gather himself and look upon the shorter male with more courage than before, "You… I've been meaning to ask… I… why did… fuck, why did you make me say I was yours?" He asked with a crimson blush on his face that spoke of his clear embarrassment. To tell the truth, Haruka was embarrassed too—though his embarrassment was virtually invisible on his face. He stayed quiet while Rin stared at him expectantly until realizing he had no intentions to say anything on that subject. He'd been waiting for Rin to bring it up before… but recently because of the questioning he had of his own intentions towards Rin lately, he'd begun to dread if he would ask. Now here he was, glaring stubbornly at him for answers that Haruka didn't know.

"I don't…" He trailed before falling silent, only serving to irritate Rin who was looking for solid answers. The redness left his face and he was only staring at him now because it was his turn to tell him something embarrassing—or at least he thought it would be embarrassing because of the way his heart thumped. He knew a partial reason Rin was impatient was because of the fact that his immobile face revealed nothing of how he felt about the issue. He could only hope Rin didn't assume anything…

"You don't what? Tell me," Rin demanded and he looked away from him, having no idea what he could possibly say. Why did he want Rin to say he was his? Yes he was his neko but he could've done something less drastic than… than what he did… he nearly blushed when his mind recreated the passionate scene where he starved Rin of his orgasm and tortured his weeping member until he sobbed that he was his. When he thought over it, it was a much more graphic scene than he'd realized then with all of his efforts at just getting Rin to stop resisting him.

"I… don't… I don't know, I just… was tired of you saying no all the time," he said, his eyes widening fractionally as he had the epiphany that perhaps… perhaps Rin had hurt his feelings then when he came back. He hadn't been too aware of it then but when he thought of it, the rejection of his touch, getting pushed away and kicked out… it would hurt anyone's feelings. And when he thought of it like that then he figured out why that was so embarrassing. To be thinking like a neglected housewife was just demeaning. As Haruka looked away he could just feel Rin's stare before the redhead pushed him off of him, making Haruka nervous that Rin would just walk out because of his frustration. But he was soon proven wrong when he settled like he had that morning, above him and nuzzling softly into his neck. Apologetically.

He could feel the other's risen temperature as he blushed above him and surprisingly kissed his neck, making him gasp in shock. He thought that it would be a simple kiss to make it up to him but to his amazement, Rin leaned down further and began to lap his tongue on his pulse point where the blood was starting to rush faster as did Rin's licks and kisses. He gasped when he felt the first soft scrape of those deadly teeth and the other was suddenly straddling him fully and pulling his thin shirt off his muscular chest. The raven marveled when the rippling tan skin, barely marred anymore with ugly bruises, glinted softly in the moonlight that was filtered in by his window. Rin was bright red on top of him and his red eyes stared down at him, the orbs trembling with slight nervousness and embarrassment. Haruka thought the best course of action would be to help him and he ran his hand up his side but the redhead quickly batted it away from him and stared down resolutely, "N-No… I don't want… you to touch me…" he said firmly and Haruka raised an eyebrow.

"Why can't I touch you? You're mine after all," He said, a bit irritated because he'd just said that he hated Rin saying no all the time. He thought Rin had been apologizing but clearly if he was clearly stating he didn't want him then why was he doing this? The unsatisfied look must've been obvious in his eyes because Rin huffed and kissed down his neck as he was doing before, not getting much of a response from the pouting raven below until the redhead's hips suddenly thrust into his, creating a delicious friction. He choked back a moan and his hands twitched to touch the other somewhere, anywhere but the other kept going, starting a steady rhythm of dry thrusts that sent heat singing through his body and he cried out, "A-Ah! Rin…" The taller teen let go of his collar bone which he'd latched onto while he ground on him, panting wetly and mewling in devilishly in his ear while the only thing he could do was clench the sheets and keep his voice down because he didn't want this to end… whatever it was. What was he doing? He thought Rin didn't want him. So then why was he tempting him like this with kisses and lengthy rolls of his hips? He sat up again, his own sweats looking a bit tighter than they did before and he looked into his confused gaze.

"H-H…Haruka… I want to touch you. You always touch me and… shit… and m-make me feel good so, it's fair to… to do this with you too right? I want to please you too," He asked breathily yet aggressively as Haruka looked up, a bit winded himself, at his face only to freeze. Those quivering thighs by his hips, those glistening eyes that transformed with his arousal, the embarrassed but wanton face, and those hands… those sneaky hands that stroked up and over his tensing body... when the other said that pleading phrase to him looking so utterly lewd and debauched he… he was so… oh. Haruka's eyes widened a bit when his cock that before was only half hard, sprung to attention to nudge the two globes of flesh sitting upon it. Rin's eyes stared at him in surprise when he felt Haruka come to life so suddenly, "H-Haruka you're hard? I haven't done anythi—"

Haruka stiffened at the obliviousness the other had and before he could finish that humiliating and false sentence, Haruka pulled Rin down with one hand to kiss him and the other slid to one firm cheek. Squeezing and kneading the flesh so the other gasped, he slipped his tongue quickly in the other's slick mouth, attacking his tongue to get revenge on the other for turning him on so suddenly. He tilted Rin's head devoured his swollen, pink lips, running the tip of his tongue on the other's sensitive underside and sucking at it so intensely that the younger male melted in his grasp, moaning while he became fully erect and damp just at his kiss. When they separated, he made sure to slide his tongue along the other's so indecently that Rin shuddered in his grasp and his arms shook in the efforts to keep him supported, "Rin, you're hard? I only kissed you too…" he mocked him and Rin glared at him, pissed off and now competitive at the other making fun of him—his pride rearing its stubborn head.

He should've seen it coming, but because he didn't, he still gasped when Rin slid his hand under his loose waistband and took his erection out stroking the pale skin with a tight and inexperienced grip. But just the feel of Rin's roughened hand stroking his sensitive skin made him flop back into the covers and huff urgently. It must've startled Rin because the redhead immediately stopped and nearly jumped out of his skin to look at him with startled eyes, "Ah! So…Sorry did th-that hurt?" He asked worriedly, obviously sympathetic due to the same appendage being between his own legs. He sat up lightly and shook his head, diving his hand down until it was cupping his balls.

"No, it felt kind of like this," he teasingly squeezed the sac, making Rin jolt while his cock dripped the milky white substance onto his exposed lower stomach. Rin began jerking unexpectedly and Haruka gasped but kept the light massage of his balls up until he reached around and grabbed his soft ass while his other hand tugged at his cock, thumbing a bit roughly over the slit in the way he knew Rin was weak to. It became a race somehow to get the other off quicker, both parties tugging and pulling out every exploratory move they had available to make the other wetter, slicker, hotter until they could take no more. While Haruka was more subdued, he paid extra attention to squeezing the other's delicious bottom while he tugged his elongated erection, each squeeze and pat making the other moan louder while his cock twitched in his palm. Rin made up for being more aroused by moaning his name so hotly with so much desire… Haruka couldn't help but be close too because the other just sounded like he wanted it so badly…

"Ah! Sh-shit… fu—ah! Hah, ahhn…" Haruka felt himself stiffen when the other's voice became more high-pitched, needier with whimpers spilling from his lips until Haruka kissed him harshly to muffle the erotic sounds. If he heard anymore of Rin's pleasure he was sure that Rin would have a better chance at cumming after him. He panted in the other's mouth while their hands blurred and he didn't know what the catalyst exactly was that made Rin so close he had to fall into his shoulder, his lips crying and begging for satisfaction but he knew that he was done for when those eyes stared up at him from his chest and the trembling Rin could only weakly whimper his name and 'please'.

"Rin… I… hah, hah!" he came with his last pant just as Rin shuddered heavily and came in between their chests, his pleasurable moans dragging out Haruka's orgasm from sheer bliss of having Rin sound so erotic just for him. They panted sharply while coming down from their high and Rin's heavy weight was almost like a source of reassurance for Haruka who turned to the sniffling redhead to fondly play with his soft hair, watching the red strands fall through his fingers. There was nothing wrong with being like this right? Just like this… how could there be anything wrong when it felt so right? Like the rightest thing in the world… It was then that Rin asked in his ear,

"Haruka, why are you really sad about the camping trip?" He asked, shocking Haruka at the fact that the other knew that he wasn't really sad about swimming. Hmph, he supposed that idiot was getting better at being a pet after all. He had emotional sensors just like a cat who knew when its master was feeling sad. Closing his eyes, he sighed and confessed to him.

"It's because… I won't be able to touch you like this for a while when we get there," he mumbled, wiping his dripping hand on the stained blanket and hugged him around his waist. The other blushed in his arms and leaned up to meet his dazed, blue eyes before hitting his face with a pillow.

"You mean you're sad because you won't have any way to get off in the next week? You're really a pervert Haruka. Don't you enjoy my compa—" Haruka cut him off with a kiss and a bite on his lower lip. He wasn't a pervert. At least he didn't think he was. Not only that, but Rin shouldn't debase himself like that. Haruka meant that he wouldn't be able to touch him, hug him, or do any of the things they do in private because… well it would definitely be too embarrassing to do in public not to mention indecent. He huffed, the only real expression of irritation he used. The other was still an idiot after all. Letting go of his lip and looking with satisfaction as the flesh swelled lightly and turned a delectable dark pink color.

It was only then that Rin caught him by surprise and rolled him so he was on top of him, in between his legs. The redhead wrapped his arms around him and looked at the other apologetically, making him question what he was doing, "Rin?"

"You… You said you're sad because… you can't touch me right? S-So… so go a-ahead n-n-now… t-touch me again… until you feel better…" Haruka's eyes could not stop their comical widening as Rin basically bared his body for Haruka's pleasure because Haruka was sad about them not getting to touch. The raven's blue eyes lidded once more and he came in contact with the other's wary red ones while he looked over the other's pleasured body with a mix of both of their cum on Rin's stomach and Rin's underwear extremely low on his hips to show his spent member. A surge of lust went through Haruka and he reflected on how truly dangerous Rin could be.

Very dangerous indeed.

* * *

Though they weren't required to have their uniforms on, the school compensated by requiring that everyone wear the school's sweats. Haruka didn't mind really because he didn't really care about how they dressed but Rin, though he tried to be discreet about it, was actually a bit disappointed. But while he was making them breakfast, he was amused to see that of course Rin had taken the sweats and made it his own. He'd rolled up the legs to his pants and paired accessories on each wrist—of course with his usual rings on his hand as well. There was also the fact that he wore his glasses instead of his contacts and even put his hair into a carefully done style where half was up and half was down. Haruka hated to admit this, but the other was actually very cute with his modified uniform if not a bit feminine—the other would hate him telling him that. The reason he hated to admit this? Because when they went to camp surely the girls would be all over him. Haruka even wanted to do a few things to the adorably conscious Rin.

But he'd gotten all of that out the night before, explaining to the thrashing and trembling redhead that he wouldn't have the opportunity to act out this part of their relationship while they were with everyone else and only had the thin fabric of the tents to cover up Rin's lustful moans. Rin had hit him with a pillow then but he could also see that Rin was a little sulky over this fact too as he held on to him just a bit tighter that night, whispered his name breathily while he pleaded for more while their lips brushed passionately and even instigated another round much to the surprise of the raven. He hadn't imagined that Rin would care so much that he wouldn't be touching him like this for an entire week as it wasn't as if they touched each other like this often and when they did Rin always asked him to stop—though his body begged him for more each time he denied. He found yesterday's willingness pleasing as wandering hands pressed and groped him to completion and left many marks where no one who wasn't inappropriately close would see them.

But because they went to bed so late, it was considerably harder to wake him in the morning. It was completely worth it to see the crimson blush that spread on his face while he remembered how he called Haruka's name and asked for endless kisses, roughly kissing back and grinding against him until they were both spent with copious amount of their own cum on their chests. Quickly flipping the fish onto the toast that they'd both gotten used to, he wasn't able to see the other creeping up on him until his arms were lazily around his shoulders and a sigh made him stiffen. Damn cat. The least he could do was step a bit more loudly… but he knew he didn't mind much because the person draping all over him was Rin. He elbowed the other in the stomach where he knew there were no bruises, making the redhead double over.

"Idiot, I'm cooking. If you really have to be pet by me, wait until we get on the bus and I'll do it all you want," looking down smugly, he handed his fish to Rin and he snatched it away to take an indignant bite. He was obviously upset at him for coolly rejecting him like that.

"I… I don't want to be pet! What the hell you bastard! I told you I'm not a neko!" He stood to his full height, towering over him by a few inches and once again stronger looking than him, "If anything, you should be the neko! Don't fucking kid yourself into thinking you could top me, Haruka!" The raven twitched and turned to him slowly, wondering where all this was coming from. The redhead's cheeks were fiery, his eyes were intent on winning the argument, and his stance at this point was to be completely dominant over him though Haruka honestly thought it was kind of cute for the other to want him to be a neko too. Haruka didn't feel threatened by who was dominant over the other… he supposed when he demanded that the other say he belonged to him it sounded like that but the only thing he cared about was being with Rin when he did that. He did it to establish a bond, not to assert dominance. Because to him, even though Rin was most definitely his… He was the one that was under the redhead's thumb this entire time. If Rin truly wanted to be a top, he'd let him but Rin always fit best with him when he was on the bottom. Not physically but logically if that made sense.

So for the other to be so worked up about it, he was almost sure that something was going to happen in which Rin revealed his true problem with the entire thing. But Haruka didn't press for it this time, the only thing he did after a moment of silence, was let his lips lift a bit and reach around to squeeze his ass challengingly, making the redhead jump in surprise and yelp, "If you think I'd be bottom, you're free to test your theory, neko-cha—" He began without so much as a pause to defend his own ass, but before he could do anything more, Makoto's voice rang loudly through the corridor and reluctantly Haruka let go of the other's body to save Makoto's poor eyes and stuffed his own sandwich in his mouth. "Ah, it seems it's time to go. Hurry up Rin or I'll leave you."

The completely embarrassed redhead scurried away from him to get his luggage and set off for school without looking back at either of them. Haruka didn't plan on saying much more on the way there so it was okay, but when he looked over to say something to Makoto for once… he realized something was wrong. Makoto… for some reason he didn't look the same as he usually did. There were circles under his eyes that looked almost like darkened bruises and the small, warm smile he usually had on his face was… colder. It seemed as if it was fake. It disturbed Haruka greatly to see this and when Makoto finally realized that Haruka was staring, the look alleviated slightly but not much for comfort.

"Makoto, is there… is there something wrong?" He asked with no particular expression on his face, though he wasn't worried about Makoto thinking his intentions were fake like most did. Because Makoto knew him better than anyone else. He knew that the other would see that he was worried and that he did because the brunette male blushed at the question and looked away with a nervous laugh.

"Ahaha… u-um… it's nothing. It's an issue that doesn't really matter," he said in a voice that Haruka could hear wavering from miles away. Because even though Makoto was his "mother", Haruka too knew the other like water. He could tell when he was lying to him or not so it was always kind of insulting when the other thought he could get one by him for stupid reasons. He gave him a look of utter bullshit and Makoto laughed at him, something he might have been offended about before had it not been for the face that Makoto had cracked a genuine smile. "Okay, okay…maybe we could talk about it on the bus?" He asked the smaller male and while Haruka didn't mean to, the first thing that flashed through his mind was the ideal picture of Rin sitting next to him where he gave Rin the window seat and he took the aisle seat to reduce fangirls from coming over and messing with him.

But… Makoto was his best friend… he couldn't just not want to sit with him because of a petty feeling like possessiveness or annoyance. His decision was decided there and he nodded his head to let the other confide in him for once. He was always leaning on Makoto whether he wanted to or not and the other was always so faithfully beside him… so he'd have to repay his kindness the best way he could. The expression of happiness on the kind brunette's face was enough for him to feel relieved. He walked a bit forward and tapped Rin on the shoulder, "Look Rin... I can't… sit with you on the way to camp." The redhead turned to look at him with a hint of surprise and a satisfactory amount of disappointment in his eyes. The taller boy's red eye glanced down at him with emotions flickering so quickly along his eyes that he could hardly keep up, expressions like sadness and even insecurity flew through before it was glossed over with a cool film of indifference. Haruka guessed he also assumed they would sit next to each other, a fact he found quite nice.

"S'cool. I mean you have friends other than me so it's obvious you'd want to spend time with them too. There's no need to be hesitant about it, I'll be fine," he said, shoving a hand in his pocket while dragging along his luggage coolly. Haruka knew Rin was actually disappointed but for some reason, the other just seemed unbearably cute to him then—trying not to make him feel bad about sitting alone. He had the urge to kiss the very visible pout off Rin's lips and make him blush but he didn't, considering he had respect for the fact that Rin was definitely not going not going to like being kissed in front of Makoto even if he knew about what they did. Besides, it struck him as a bit sappy of him, he wasn't a romantic type of guy and he really didn't think he'd be able to pull something like that off without making some kind of face that Rin would definitely tease him about later.

"If you're okay with it then it's fine I suppose," he said casually while walking beside the brooding boy who looked just a bit more disgruntled than he usually did. He stared at him with a plain face for just a minute longer, irritating the redhead even more before he turned away from him altogether. He had one last thing to check before deciding to leave him, "You… how's your body?" Rin suddenly stopped walking, a shocked and disturbed expression on his face while he remained frozen. His red eyes swiftly turned to him and he growled,

"Isn't there any way you could've phrased that better?!" He cried out in a flustered voice, grabbing his jacket and shaking him a bit to vent out his frustrations. Haruka didn't know what was wrong with how he asked. He was being concerned over the other's bruises but he was sure he wouldn't want Makoto to know so he said it in a more secretive way. It was accurate after all, the bruises were all over his body and they were a lot lighter yesterday, but he didn't know how painful they were. To respond to his question, Haruka just shrugged and looked patiently at him while he blushed even darker. "I…It's fine, dammit," He muttered softly, letting him go and hurriedly walking forward to bus with pink cheeks that entertained Haruka the entire way there. They got on the bus, Haruka automatically choosing the seat behind Rin while Makoto sat beside him with a weirdly cheerful face on. He sighed helplessly, he supposed there was no helping it. Makoto was important too.

Said brunette was grinning ear to ear with happiness on the inside and outside as he claimed a place next to his love on the bus. The bus ride was one of the things that would take the longest since they were going to a remote place and the entirety of that time now would be sitting next to Haru! Not only that but a doting and concerned Haru who didn't feel comfortable leaving him alone! After the incident at the pool where Haru was insulted by Rin to the point he didn't want to swim anymore, Makoto was beginning to feel a bit trapped at seeing just how ensnared Rin had Haru. But with Haru noticing his deteriorating condition and caring, Makoto saw that he still had a chance. The raven would still rather sit next to him than Rin when he wasn't feeling well and maybe if he kept this up during the trip, they could spend an entire week together! This in itself made him feel almost dreamy. Haru turned to him curiously,

"Makoto, you said you'd tell me what was wrong with you when we sat next to each other so…" he trailed and Makoto was flattered by the interest expressed by his Haru at how he was doing. However, he couldn't help but notice how Haru still wanted to sit behind that overactive shark so he thought that he'd clear the air to make him pay a bit more attention to him. He let the grin on his face dim a bit and he looked away before looking to Haru with vulnerable and longing eyes that seemed to come naturally to him these days.

"I… I just… I was really happy just now… because we haven't been seeing a lot of each other for a while and I was just… it made me sad," he said quietly while he saw Haru's eyes widen in surprise before he looked up at the brunette with something Makoto knew to be worry and guilt in his eyes. He was probably feeling bad that his absence from Makoto's life affected him this badly. He'd been staying with Matsuoka who was just stringing him along with lustful kisses and touches while he disappeared and reappeared whenever he wanted. He could deal with worrying Haru if that meant that Haru would keep away from that man. He leaned tiredly on the raven's shoulder, making his first move because he couldn't just let Matsuoka sweep him off of his feet. Kami-sama knew how exactly they got to touching like that in the first place with Haru's tendency to get strung along into things, "That's why I'm very happy we get to go camping with each other. I think some quality time is what we need."

Haruka froze when Makoto said that it was because he wasn't doing a lot with him nowadays that he was like this. Never in their long friendship together had he thought that he might have this effect on the brunette. He knew that he was important to him but he supposed that he was slacking with his responsibility as the other's best friend while he was caught up in… in whatever he and Rin were. But as Makoto then decided to go on about all the fun things they could do together, Haruka couldn't help but feel a bit hollow on the inside. He didn't know why… but he didn't need to guess that it probably had something to do with the redhead sulking in front of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this couple. But I'm like drowning in tears from the ending of free! I'm gonna die of separation anxiety!!! TTUTT More smut and fluff scenes!!!


	16. HaruRin vs MakoHaru

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maaann, I'm lazy. And I'm a bastard XD. Guys, today I'm here to present my reasons for not updating so often. Right now, I see what an incompetent promise-keeper I am, so I will refuse to make any. To be honest, I oftentimes lose my interest easily in things and the same goes for this story. However, this does not mean I will stop writing it. Within the next year's time, I will finish this story simply because I feel like the Free! series deserves it--not like I'm the God of writing or anything, but I hate doing things half-assed as well. Now, I have put inconsistent Haitus on both my stories for those who advise me to do so. I am a regular person and I have a life (not much of one but still) and I get these bouts of horrible restlessness and boredom where I want something to fill my time yet I don't want to do anything at all. Its hellish I tell you. So I've decided as a regular person who also has responsibilities as an authoress to continue on and finish what I've started. For those who are done with me, I am quite frustrating after all, you're free to never read again or unfavorite or whatever. But, for those who stay, I'll work hard even if it means pulling my hair out. Please enjoy this chapter ^_^.

"Haru-chan, Rin-chan, Mako-chan! We're here!" exclaimed a cheerful voice full of pep that could only occur from the bright blonde that was currently bouncing beside them. Haruka stared at him quizzically with a bland face, though today he supposed Nagisa was the most normal out of all of them today considering that the entire bus was flooded with noisy chatter that came from the students that filled the bus in anticipation to go on the field trip. Rei stood next to the bubbly blonde, scanning for an empty seat before the spied one behind Haruka and quickly took the seats, "So guys, are you ready to go camping? I've been preparing for it ever since I heard of it!" Nagisa went on and on about the various supplies he somehow seemed to have obtained and Haruka as usual tuned it out and looked around the bus with an apathetic expression.

His ears somehow then locked on a strange high-pitched noise that seemed to be coming from beside him… no wait… it was more than that, it was behind him, in front of him… all fucking over. The sound of a giddy girl's laughter. He turned casually to see that they were all looking obviously over at Rin with sparkling and desiring eyes that skimmed over the unaware teen's body. He knew that his neko was attractive undeniably from top of his too-long hair to his impatiently bouncing foot but what he had an extremely hard time coping with was that it was obvious that everyone could see Rin clearly nowadays. He admittedly was the tiniest bit worried at how the redhead would integrate in the class and how everyone always interpreted him the wrong way but the 360 switch was so unprecedented and so sudden that he had trouble getting to his feet. He knew that he couldn't leave Rin alone for too long now or he'd get attacked by some girl or they would all stare hopelessly at the oblivious teen infuriatingly even though they had proof that he was taken. This is why he felt a certain sense of dread when he had to sit with Makoto instead of Rin. To leave him alone with no one on the swim team to sit by him…

"Rinny! You're on this bus too! What a coincidence!" Rin stiffened abruptly while Haru swiftly turned to the person who was currently labeled the bane of his existence. Sawada Kiyoshi. Her altered uniform matched Rin in her rolled up pants and her shirt had obviously been ordered a size too small as it clung to her thin frame, outlining her bust and curves. Her hair had been pinned up in a high ponytail and her bangs hung in her sparkling golden eyes that pinned themselves on his neko. She audaciously sat herself right next to the previous redhead who found himself trying to plaster himself as close to the window as he could get while he garnered the aggressive stares of many more boys than before. Haru couldn't stop himself form genuinely wanting to shove her out of the seat next to Rin. Of all people to sit next to him, this was the worst one of all to want to! She got Rin ambushed yet she still wanted to pursue him? A dash of hatred sped through his chest and unwillingly he was pulled out of his reverie by Nagisa's complaining.

"Haru-chan! Listen to me! Isn't it great? We're going to get to choose the people in our tents for the week!" Haruka turned at that statement, instantly interested. He'd assumed that they would all be forced to have separating tents but if they could choose, not only would he get to separate Rin from all the lecherous girls but he could possibly get his time to touch Rin back! He was still sticking to not doing anything sexual there though because Rin tended to be pretty loud and he'd be damned if anyone other than him ever heard those precious sounds come from his lips. He instantly felt the outcome of this trip look up and he nodded gratefully to Nagisa and leaned back in his seat to watch over the two redheads in front of him, noticing the girl had begun to lean in close to Rin, unnaturally arching her back so her chest pushed forward and smiled innocuously. He cursed himself and turned to Makoto with the intent of ignoring the entire thing, or at least pretending it wasn't happening until he could do something about it.

Makoto smiled gently at him began small talk about how they both have been for the past few weeks. As usual he felt himself easily settling into a conversation with the brunette who tended to have a homely aura around him. Even though the raven didn't speak much, Makoto seemed to understand what he wanted to say without him having to say it. It was always like this between them, a certain kind of mutual understanding never made either of them uncomfortable. Makoto even looked livelier now that they got in the swing of a conversation, as if the interaction between them gave him a kind of youth. But also there were things that caught Haruka off guard during the conversation. When Makoto and he talked, he found that Makoto was leaning a bit towards him. His eyes looked at him differently than they usually did as his green irises seemed to be almost unbearably gentle when looking at him. He looked as if he had absolutely all his attention on him… like he was the only person on the bus. Haruka blinked and wondered if it really had been so long that he'd been neglecting Makoto in favor of Rin. It didn't really seem fair to him that he spend all his time with Rin, especially since he made such an effort to be understanding when he hadn't really been spending much time with the others.

A huff left him at the fondness that he felt burrowing in his stomach at the thought of how petulant his face was when Haruka suggested that there might've been something wrong with him. He cast a look to the redhead who stared out the window while listening to his earbuds to tune the smaller redhead out. He wondered how Rin would react if he told him that he looked almost lonely right then… he'd probably get bitten for that. He turned to Makoto and showed proper concern over what he was saying since Makoto was his best friend and Rin had even gone to this much trouble so that his other friendships wouldn't suffer because he was so concentrated on him. Leaning on his seat and actually directing his body towards Makoto, he listened carefully to all the things that had been going on his life as of late, nodding in the right places giving him the attention he rarely fully gave to him.

Nagsia sighed as he looked at the couple in front of him, talking so intimately. He really didn't understand how Haru-chan didn't notice it sometimes. The longing looks, the way he always gave him his full attention no matter what… it was written all over his face how much Mako-chan loved Haru-chan. They were best childhood friends and they knew each other like the back of their hands—and often proved it more times than not. So how couldn't he at least see the lovestruck, green eyes that Mako-chan made towards him? Frowning, the blonde leaned back and observed the raven who seemed more or less completely fine with how Mako-chan slowly but surely leaned closer until they were only inches apart. The blue-eyed boy seemed to be both completely concentrated on the brunette yet at the same time completely unaware of him. It was like he was paying such close attention to him that he was lacking the attention necessary to tell that he was too close for friendly distances. With the right push, they would be kissing—something Nagisa guessed the taller teen was aiming for.

"You seem to be quite focused on them today. Why is that?" Rei-chan's voice said in his ear, making him jump slightly as he really was concentrated on them. He felt a bit guilty that he hadn't been paying attention to his dear Rei-chan. He might've been getting insecure. He gave Rei-chan a complaining look which the glasses-wearing teen raised an eyebrow at and leaned to look with him. He was always amazed with how Rei-chan could follow his orders without him actually even having to say anything. He grinned brightly and snuggled with him while they were both nosily staring at the two. Suddenly Rei-chan let out an interesting "hm?" sound and he turned to him with brightened eyes, wondering if he actually noticed something, "Oh, it's… well… Haruka-senpai looks to be a bit distracted and just then… he looked in Rin-senpai's direction."

Nagisa jumped and stared at Haru-chan's eyes with a new vigor while he grunted to a wayward comment Makoto made about how natural things were starting to look the further they drove out. As he nodded, Nagisa saw how his eyes slid towards Rin-chan who stretched in his seat, making a strangely cute noise of sleepiness—Nagisa didn't even know Rin-chan /could/ be cute of all things. He saw how Haru-chan's eyes seemed to passively brighten and sparkle like how it was when he caught sight of a particularly huge body of water but… there was not even a glass of water in sight. Haru-chan couldn't be looking at Rin-chan that way could he? Nagisa thought, no he knew, Haru-chan had been acting funny as of late, especially at the practices in which he didn't bother to swim but stayed on land and did land training with the redhead of all things… but… did that mean… it couldn't though… he… like that…

"It is like that just so you know," Nagisa turned to Gou-kun with a curious look at how she managed to read his thoughts while Rei-chan jumped ungracefully and yelped in surprise. Gou leaned from her seat behind the blonde and blue-haired couple and smirked knowingly. Nagisa was a bit slow but she was sure he'd definitely catch on once she explained things, "Haruka-senpai totally likes onii-chan like that. It's totally obvious, just look at how he keeps looking at onii-chan like he wants to be next to him," she whispered deviously and Nagisa raised an eyebrow, a bit skeptical of the whole thing—since he was another believer that Makoto and Haruka would definitely get together no matter what, he was friends with them after all and looking at them, Nagisa found himself even easing into the idea of his own sexuality.

"But then… look at how he's next to Mako-chan. Mako-chan has been looking sad lately but now look at them both, talking so intimately," he said, not sure if he was trying to convince Gou more or himself. They were kind of like his go to when he thought of what love should look like or at least intense friendship. Mako-chan has always been there by Haru-chan's side faithfully, always looking out for him and always taking care of him and in return Haru-chan just as faithfully is by his side. You just couldn't find one without the other… well he supposed nowadays… it was Rin-chan who could never be seen without Haru-chan. Gou-kun looked at him as if there was seriously something wrong with what he was seeing and only said,

"Nagisa-kun, do you know where my onii-chan is nearly every other day now?" She asked, leaning towards him with the determine, sparking eyes of a girl who's in love with a BL couple, "He spends the night at Haruka-senpai's house and he nearly always comes back with love bites all over his neck. I always end up delivering his clothes to Haruka-senpai's door and he always looks so ruffled and…" she trialed off with a bright red blush at the image of her onii-chan tearing up beneath a smirking Haruka-senpai while the raven teased him until he couldn't take anymore. What a wonderful image for the girl with a serious brother complex. Nagisa looked a bit incredulous before he remembered that Haruka, Makoto, and Rin came at the exact same time though he knew for a fact that Gou was walking with them and Rin would never leave his sister behind were they walking together… shit that meant that they did spend the night together…Flopping back in his seat with a small pout, he realized that all those other times that Rin had come back with hickeys all over his neck, those were also probably from the azure eyed teen in front of them who yet again took a glance at Rin.

"I… still, Mako-chan and Haru-chan have been together way longer than Rin-chan and Haru-chan… I'll have to watch myself before I believe it. It may just be a passing crush or something…" Nagisa said, watching his two childhood friends with a fire lit in his eyes. He just couldn't let his OTP lose to Gou-kun's! He was sure that Rei-chan also saw it his way as logically it didn't really make sense to switch over from someone who's always been there to someone who just came not even half a year ago! Determinedly, he leaned his head on Rei-chan's shoulder and observed the couple in front of them with watchful eyes and Rei only sighed, wrapping an arm around his excitable boyfriend's waist.

Makoto felt the best he's ever felt in months talking to Haru about this, that, and whatever else came to his mind. It seemed like Haru was giving him absolutely all of his attention, his eyes almost never strayed from him and he responded with those cute nonchalant nods and grunts and sometimes even commented a word or two. Haru looked so at ease with him, leaning against the window and his seat just to turn and meet his eyes. His entire body was turned to him unlike how it usually is where he's only halfway turned to him and looked off into his own world, the change was so nice to behold and he felt so relieved, he was leaning forward with the strength falling from his limbs. Haru still liked him, he wasn't being replaced and there was no need to be scared… They were still meant to be…

"Oi, Makoto," Haru said, cutely alarmed at his sudden fatigue. He fell with his head on Haru's shoulder, the skin touching his forehead pleasurably warming him and he nuzzled Haru's neck ever so gently. This was the greatest plan he'd ever thought of. Haru was even reacting to his touch instead of disregarding it. This was the best, "Oi, if you're tired, sleep in your own seat." He said, lightly pushing him off but Makoto was too tired to move. Instead he directed the kind, green, puppy dog eyes that he knew Haru had trouble resisting to the raven.

"Why not? Just this once Haru? Feels nice…" he mumbled, clutching onto the other tighter as if he were a stuffed animal. Haru slowly stopped moving and sighed in that cute way that said, 'it just can't be helped' and just leaned pliantly against the window while the Makoto wrapped his arms around his waist and smiled sleepily before succumbing to sleep. The others watched the oblivious couple in front of them, Nagisa with a victorious face and Gou with a pout and glare at her idiot brother who was clueless at the interaction behind him as he was trying to pry himself away from the Sawada girl. And so the MakoHaru vs HaruRin race began much to Rei's dismay.

* * *

 

Calmness surrounded him. He was free floating where he lay, surrounded by the deep depths of the ocean around him. He could feel the water enclose his body in such a close embrace that nothing of him was left untouched, the cool touch of the water rushing over his pale skin yet giving him the leeway of movement. Haruka didn't move though, he just lay there in the dark serenity that he was in. He couldn't tell whether it was day or night, what direction he was flowing in… all unimportant things ceased to exist in the peace that let him close his eyes to reality and let him be free of all restraints. He was falling… falling deeper… suddenly he could hear a painfully familiar voice call out to him and he looked up as he hit the ocean floor to see Makoto's face so far above him and his hand penetrating the surface of the water. Why didn't he just get in with him? The water felt amazing down here, it was so cold he felt like he didn't feel anything and was just drifting in contentment with the water's icy embrace.

"Haru! Haru get out! Get out quickly!" he heard the muffled voice of Makoto scream desperately to him but he was enchanted by how the water distorted everything and bent the light at such beautiful angles. He wondered what was real and what wasn't and then just gave up on the matter completely because that didn't matter down here where there was nothing that could disturb you. There was nothing bothersome down here, nothing he had to be forced into doing and he could just be by himself… on second thought maybe he didn't want Makoto to come down after all. He was trying to steal his tranquility away up on dry land… his blue eyes dimmed as his chest began to feel heavy as it always did when he had to "go back". But… did he really have to go back? "No! Haru! Haruka, please come back! Haruka!"

Why should he have to go back when things felt so peaceful down here. His grandmother had always told him that humans who love swimming as much as he did were sprung from sea creatures under the sea. Knowing that, he was positive that he was made to swim, that he breathed swimming just as naturally as any fish underwater. So why should he have to come back to the surface and give up his comfort? It was selfish but he sometimes just thought he wasn't made to be on land. Makoto screeched desperately at him from the surface and the pressure on his chest grew as did the black spots across his vision. Was he drowning? Well, it was surprisingly more peaceful than he thought it would be. He knew that water would eventually try to rush into the empty caverns of his body so who was he to refuse such a majestic beast. What was there for him on land…

"Haruka!" darkened blue eyes creaked open in shock of the extremely clear voice heard above him. Slowly, his eyes opened but as soon as they did as if they were made of water themselves, light filled their depths as if something was shining in them. He was nearly blinded by the light coming off the other who dove head first into the water and swam straight down to him. A wild and unpredictable look was in his tearing, red eyes and the water made his hair whip around beautifully while he swam like a shark towards him. Everything about him was so vibrant that he seemed to glow in the darkness at the bottom of the ocean. His furrowed, rouge brows, his long lashes and soft, pink lips, his bare, tanned skin… "You bastard! Why won't you come back up on land?! Do you not like it there or something?" he whimpered irately as he grabbed Haruka's hand. The raven felt his body pulse as if his heart had leapt to life for the first time. Rin's skin was so warm it was almost hot in comparison to his own frigid skin.

He flinched when Rin grew even closer, wrapping his arms around him and cursing at his temperature and rubbing his sides idiotically since he was drowning. Shouldn't he be trying to take him to the air? And why could he talk so unrestrictedly in the water? But all those thoughts went away when he suddenly went away when he saw the way Rin's tears were actually flowing, the warm, salty water mixing in with the cool water they were submerged in. He found his body moving for the first time and stroking over his cheek while the other gave him an angry, sulking look, "What about everyone else? We'll miss you, you know! Don't be so selfish! I want to be with you all the time, not just in water! A-And… hic, I still haven't sh-shown you th-th-the sight y-yet…" Rin cried, alarming him.

He never meant to make the redhead cry but he couldn't help but wonder why he was so affected by the other's tears. The other was such a crybaby, he thought that he would get used to seeing the annoying shedding of tears. But, he was just as heartbroken as the last time and this time it was his fault. He wanted to speak but for the first time it was that water that was constricting him. He couldn't talk freely like Rin underwater but he desperately wanted the tears to stop. He just couldn't handle it when the other cried because of him. So he leaned forward and gently licked the other's tears away, tasting the saltiness of them. It was only when he felt the other wrap his arms around his neck that he noticed that they were no longer on the ocean floor. They were rushing up to the surface… Rin was bringing him back without even knowing it…

The redhead looked at him unsure eyes before he kissed him so softly it was like their first kiss. There was no tongue involved but just a cavity inducing brush of the lips while Haruka wrapped his arms around the other's back, stroking in comforting circles while the pressure stayed consistent on their lips. It was so gentle and sweet when they parted and Rin's quivering lips whispered to his as they finally broke the surface together, he noticed that they were clutching each other tighter than he thought, "Please don't leave me Haruka, I'll miss you too much, idiot…" Haruka placed gentle kisses all over the other's cheeks, being more gentle and softer than he thought he'd ever be capable of. He kissed him as if the other were his source of air, no… like he was much more important than it.

"Of course I won't. I'll stay with you… so don't cry anymore, Rin…" He murmured his name as if it were a prayer and let their lips touch once more, running his fingers through the other's long, red hair. They barely separated and shining blue eyes looked into the glistening red ones and Haruka felt the warmest feeling bloom in his chest at the concerned and irate redhead. Nothing had ever felt more right to do in his life than hold the larger teen and smile at him in soft amusement just as he was now… his lips tingled with the words that wanted to burst from his mouth so much that he could feel them prying themselves out regardless of his will, "Rin, I… I lo—"

Bright blue eyes snapped open and Haruka gasped softly upon jerking awake to the sight of a dry, confused Rin who cocked his head in concern at how he woke. Haruka's lips and hands buzzed, desperately wanting to reach out and touch the other. He wanted to kiss the other's pink lips and run his fingers so thoroughly through that mane of red hair that the hairdo that the other painstakingly tied up by himself would fall and spill throughout his waiting hands. He eyed the other, feeling a deep craving in him that was barely bubbling under the surface. His gaze was so intense that the other's cheeks began to color at being subject to it. "H…Haruka why do you look like that…? W-Well… no matter, we're… we're here you know…" Rin said, obviously trying not to sound like the submissive neko he was in front of the others. He shook his own head, trying to snap out of his dreamlike state and straightened against the heavy body laying against him that he knew was Makoto.

"Ah… thanks Rin. Don't worry about it, it was just a weird dream…" he said calmly even as he was inwardly stiff in shock at feeling something so intense run through him. His chest felt like it was about to burst and his breath felt a bit shortened, like he was sick… but he felt nothing but an irritating fluttering going on his body, making him tremble. What was that dream? Why did he have that kind of dream instead of dreaming something like he normally did? And more importantly… his thoughts flashed back to his final words before he was startled awake. What was he going to say then…? His thoughts felt like they were all over the place, pointing every different direction until he couldn't take any more of the furious circling of his thoughts. Luckily for him, true to Rin's words, they had arrived at the camp.

It was almost like fully roughing it out in the woods but instead of tents like Nagisa had impulsively bought, they were going to be sleeping in barely furnished, log cabins. There was little more than a worn path in the grass to walk on from repeated footsteps trodden in the flattened grass and you could smell the pure, unfiltered, natural air that permeated the surroundings. The cabins themselves were not that complex and actually had communal bathrooms as one of their only sources of true electricity. There was even a spot where Haruka could see a bonfire had been repeatedly lit and guessed that they were in fact roughing it out in the woods. Ama-sensei, in her own Iwatobi sweats, stood tall in the front of the bus with a proud grin on her face.

"Welcome to the camp where we Iwatobi students will call home for the next week. This camp was made to build bonding, friendship, and trust between Iwatobi students and to pull everyone out of their comfort zone to try new things! Now, we won't be assigning roommates but naturally girls and boys will stay separated so let's unpack our things and get going to our first activity!" she smiled cheerfully, hyping the rest of the class up who cheered with her. Haruka couldn't help but notice how Rin looked actually pretty happy to do this kind of thing. He was squirming restlessly in his seat and glaring nervously out the window. Actually, Haruka now found a bit of relief in being in such an uncomfortable place since Rin seemed to be quite happy to do so. The redhead just couldn't keep his eyes in one spot.

After the rules were explained to them, they were allowed to leave the bus and to get their things. Rin had amusingly over packed in his nervousness to not be underprepared in case anything happened and he supposed for someone who's never went camping before, this was a usual sentiment but Haruka honestly thought the full suitcase and duffle bag was too much. What a dork, he thought to himself as he and Rin naturally migrated to their own cabin whether consciously or not. Haruka was actually beginning to lighten up about the whole camping thing since they got their own cabin and everything. He was sure he'd be able to at least sleep with Rin, after all it did get cold and he was sure that neko would curl up just a bit tighter to him anyway just for the extra warmth. His outlook on the trip was brightened as he kicked his duffle bag carelessly underneath the slightly elevated bed. He leaned on the wall to watch Rin unpack with a bored expression though he was actually quite interested in watching the other go about his business. It was especially amusing when he figured out that Haruka was watching him and his movements got incredibly stiff.

"Oi! Haruka, aren't you going to unpack or something?" He asked, so as to not reveal that he was at all uncomfortable with Haruka's pensive stare digging into his vulnerable back. Haruka just shrugged, making sure not to say a word to make the redhead squirm even more. He was so amusing just like this. Trying to get him to stop staring at him just made him want to look even more. The other teen reluctantly went back to attempting to pack casually and Haruka quietly got off the bed and came up behind him as he was hunched over his suitcase and taking out all the things that he thought he might need which was a lot for such a "tough guy". With perfect stealth, he slid behind the younger male and wrapped his arms around his waist, startling him to the point that he dropped the sunscreen he was holding and turned to him. The goofy face that he saw when he looked at the other was suddenly quite charming to him and he was quite tempted to kiss his face.

"I'll stay with you… so don't cry anymore, Rin…"

"Rin, I… I lo—"

His breath hitched and he mentally waved his hands to blow away the mental image of his dream that fluttered in and out of his mind. The intense confusion over just what he was going to say came back in full force at that moment. What had he been trying to say to Rin while he kissed all over his face and comforted him? The dream was so fuzzy to him at the moment and he didn't know what he'd been thinking at that point or even why Rin was crying. He just remembered his promise to stay with Rin and the incredibly intense warm feeling that bloomed in his chest, making him wake up for fear of suffocating on the feeling. He unconsciously nuzzled the other's back, petting his lean abs so Rin shuddered and melted in his hold. He wished that he could remember… it felt very important to him for some reason, but he couldn't deny the distraction placed in front of him at the moment. It was far too tempting to run his cool fingers up Rin's shirt and pet him into compliancy while he kissed his neck softly and surely.

"Haru…Haruka… s-s-stop… someone might come in i-idiot…" Haruka thought that Rin might have a point with that and he didn't want anything unnecessary to go around, it was already enough that he was unsure of the relationship, he didn't need anyone else to come barging in with wild abandon and confuse anything else. But… then again Rin's neck tasted quite nice under his lips and his tongue liberally licked over his pulse point, not sucking so he wouldn't leave a mark. But then he tasted something strange when Rin jolted and squirmed once more in his grip… he tasted something metallic and stopped lavishing his neck in deprived kisses to lean back and take a look at Rin's neck, which he now saw had a necklace dangling from it. Rin looked almost shocked that he'd actually listened to him as he turned to the raven to see him looking intensely at the chain around his neck that he all of a sudden realized had always been there. The only time it was never seen on his neck was when he was swimming but other than that it seemed to be a normal part of his outfits that he wore all the time. "Haruka? What's wrong?"

"What's this necklace for? I just realized I've never seen you without it," Haruka pointed out and Rin's eyes widened and he looked down at the chain before turning in his arms so that he was hold him around his back. Taking it out, Haruka observed a small, golden ring on the end of the chain that looked much more expensive than the chain itself. The ring was simple but the gold glimmered beautifully even in the sparse lighting available and Haruka could just tell that Rin probably took amazing care of it even though the necklace was cheaper. But the ring itself doesn't look to be the size of Rin's fingers so he wondered why he even had such a thing at all.

"It's my dad's wedding band. My dad didn't really own many things because he liked to move around a lot, being a fisherman. So he placed most of his things that he used on the ship that they used to fish in since he was usually there. But… the only thing he never took was his wedding ring. He told me it was because he was scared he would lose it in the sea and never be able to find it again, so I told him to put it on a necklace. Not much was left of my father after the accident since his body was never… recovered but after a few days I went to the beach to pay my respects to my father before leaving to Australia again. When I got on the beach, I saw that amazingly, the ring had made it back to shore and I just… I knew I had to keep it. I kind of think… that's my dad saying he went to a better place and that things would be okay and… Shit, I went on some lame ramble again… sorry," he said softly, twirling the small band between his fingers. Rin always looked very small when he talked about his father, as if he were reverting back to that emotional child who looked at the world through rose colored glasses that were shattered right before his eyes.

"Don't apologize," Haruka said softly, looking up at unsure, red eyes while he lightly rubbed his fingers against the sensitive part of his lower back. At this point, Rin gave up on trying to get his hands from his shirt and just leaned against him while Haruka gladly soaked up his warmth. It wasn't until the door opened suddenly that Haruka retracted from his neko and Rin jumped back from him in shock. Both pairs of eyes, one irritated and one nervous, connected with the large form of Makoto in the doorway with his own luggage. He grinned jovially and set his things down on Haruka's bed to wrap an arm around his shoulders. Haruka was less reluctant to think this time that he'd really rather have Rin's arms wrapped around his neck at this point. The ride there was almost like torture because even as he was bonding with Makoto he realized that every second he was away from Rin, he could be unintentionally getting closer with some girl! It irked him to think this way but really hadn't he spent hours with Makoto just a few minutes ago? He wasn't ever that "chummy" with him even before Rin came and he never spent that much time with anyone… except probably Rin.

"Haru! We're sleeping in the same cabin? That's great!" Makoto cheered, both happy that he'd managed to find Haruka's cabin after a few tries—it was surprisingly quite secluded near the back—and that he'd also broken those two up since he never knew when that Matsuoka was going to try and molest his Haru. He also thought that playing the victim while pursuing Haru more aggressively was the best idea he'd ever had! Makoto had gotten to sleep on Haru's shoulder for hours and talked with him so intimately that there was no doubt that some people thought they might even be a couple! And now he was so tightly pressed against Haru's side that he could feel the other's smaller body perfectly even through their jackets. But the best part was that Haru wasn't trying to pull away or even complaining! He just gave him that slightly reluctant look and let him do what he pleased. It was honestly adorable. "Ah, but we have to leave now, we're going on a hike. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"…Too much effort," Haruka replied, letting himself be moved by Makoto towards the door though his eyes were locked on Rin because Rin's brow just then furrowed a bit like he was troubled before smoothing out evenly in the way that alerted Haruka that he was trying not to worry him. Mentally he sighed while being led out of the cabin that now all three of them shared while Rin trailed quietly behind them. For some reason, a strange feeling gnawed angrily at his heart and he felt angry at himself for letting things be this way.

* * *

 

"They slept together the entire time they were on the bus, Gou-kun! You can't tell me that there was nothing there!" a tiny blonde debated in his purposefully too big jersey while he and a certain redhead had the pout-off of the century. He couldn't believe that Gou was still negating the fact that Haru-chan and Mako-chan had a thing together—though it was obvious that "thing" was lagging so badly simply because Mako-chan was too much of a baby to admit his feelings already though it's been ten years now. You couldn't deny the comfortable feeling around them when Mako-chan was sleeping on Haru-chan's shoulder and Haru-chan actually let him. Though he and Haru-chan have been friends for almost as long, he knew Haru-chan would have a very hard time letting him sleep on him, proving their closeness.

"But then you could say the same thing for Haruka-senpai and onii-chan! Remember at the pool? Haruka-senpai was being so caring towards onii-chan and /he/ was the one who initiated contact between them! And even ignoring that, did you see the way Haruka-senpai looked at onii-chan when he woke up? The chemistry in that one moment was far beyond the 'comfy feeling' one gets when looking at Makoto-senpai with Haruka-senpai!" They bickered for a few minutes more, Nagisa pulling out a plethora of evidence for how his best friends were together but Gou counteracting it with powerful evidence that she'd gotten in the past months of them being together. They were only forced to stop when they saw the awkward trio coming down to the rest of the group since everyone was going on a hike until lunch was ready. They suspiciously wrapped their arms around each other as if they were the best of friends and not secretly arguing over whether Haruka would get with Rin or Makoto while Rei just sighed and stood off to the side, having watched the entire episode. "Oh onii-chan, Haruka-senpai and Makoto-senpai! Ready to go on this hike?" Gou asked enthusiastically while keeping an eye on how strange Haruka-senpai was acting around her onii-chan.

"Too much effort," he mumbled, giving her the same answer he gave Makoto, making a bead of sweat drop down her forehead in mild exasperation. A silence draped over the atmosphere between them and Rin sighed quietly and walked a total of one step forward before he was nearly tackled by that girl again. Kiyoshi giggled and latched onto his arm along with her group of friends who also giggled playfully around the taller redhead. Kiyoshi animatedly yammered in his ear, obviously annoying Rin but at this point it looked as if he'd given up trying to fight back and actually let her hang on his arm as they began walking. Nagisa looked at Gou with a raised eyebrow to say that they obviously weren't meant to be if that was happening.

Nagisa, Gou, and a reluctant Rei lagged behind for the hike as they again restarted their argument for Haruka's relationship. Makoto remained lost in his wonderful world where Haru and he were dating and it made perfect sense for his hand to be on Haru's slender hips and for them to be walking peacefully next to each other without a certain redheaded interference coming up to destroy their peace and quiet. Haruka was just annoyed that once again he was separated from Rin for no reason except Makoto and girls. Really he wanted to separate himself but to picture the face that he'd seen just this morning made him feel a little guilty for wanting to part so badly. But, Makoto was never like this. Haruka thought he knew Makoto like the back of his hand, what he was thinking and feeling just because they spent so much time around each other. But… did he? The other was acting so out of character that Haruka didn't know what to do and was starting to feel suffocated. It was like there was a widening gulf that was separating them from knowing each other even as their physical distance deteriorated.

However, fate and its roundabout ways were about to let nature take its course.

"Hey do you see the foreigner up there with our Sawada-chan? Who the hell does he think he is?" a miscellaneous whisper was all that it took for a widening explosion of static noise and gossip to boom around them all about the couple that was currently walking by the edge of the group. Kiyoshi had a teasing tilt to her smile while she lovingly toyed with the other redhead's bright, silky hair. The boys tended to call Rin a foreigner because of his abnormal red hair that was absolutely natural for him to have and of course his freakishly sharp teeth. They often said that he didn't belong in Japan with his strange looks even though in between they all knew it was just jealousy they were feeling because the girls were attracted to such foreigners. Calling him that, they hoped to make the popular teen know that he wasn't welcome among the group of guys. The raven that stood behind Rin stiffened and looked up, knowing that Rin's sharp ears caught the jeers but he didn't say anything with the supervisors there who might as well have been oblivious.

He thought he would just have to suffer in silence with hearing how Rin was disrespected by the jealous guys because he was so popular yet cold to everyone—well except the swim team. He thought that that would be it… until Rin suddenly lurched forward in the way that made it known that he was tripped by someone. If that wasn't enough, just when Haruka was reaching out to help him rebalance, Rin was pushed to the ground, sending dirt flying everywhere and something flying off the small cliff they were on… something gold and glimmering. Haruka's eyes widened as the crowd stopped walking, the boys snickering to themselves at the fallen redhead. But Haruka saw when his hand seemingly went to his neck automatically and felt nothing, he knew that this would be bad. Rin's eyes widened dramatically and he pat the ground around him as if hoping to find the ring somewhere, anywhere at all in the dirt, unknowing that it went off the cliff just before. Without another thought, he went over to his friend who was still on the ground with the teachers crowding around him.

"Matsuoka-san, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Ama-sensei asked the frantic boy who whipped his head around desperately to find the vanishing ring. Rin barely had the sense enough to shake his head and Haruka kneeled by him with a hand on his shoulder. He could tell that Rin was trying not to get as upset about it as he wanted to, he didn't want to make a scene but Haruka just knew how panicked he was when those shaky crimson eyes looked at him worriedly.

"It flew off the cliff, Rin," he said hesitantly, almost not wanting to tell him but knowing he'd never leave without the only thing his father left behind. He knew the other would probably feel like he failed his father if he lost the ring. He noticed how Rin's shoulder trembled under his touch and he immediately got up and ran over to the cliff like he was ready to jump over it. Haruka grabbed his jacket to stop the hurrying redhead and fixed him with a stern look as he flatly asked, "What do you think you're doing?" Like hell he was going to let him go off by himself when he was all panicky like this. He was always ten times clumsier when he was upset and right now he really needed to just calm down before going to do something drastic like jump off a cliff.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm going to get my da… my ring," he said, playing up the tough guy role even though Haruka could see his hands clenching and unclenching while he tripped over his words. Even though his face was getting paler by the second. Haruka was actually afraid that Rin might have a panic attack by how utterly upset he was right then. Without letting go of the larger teen, he shook his head and stood up to his full height with the full intention of subduing his neko.

"No you aren't, you're a wreck right now. Why don't you calm down and—"

"I can't fucking calm down! You should know that!" Rin interrupted, trembling even worse which made Haruka sigh. He made him even more upset. He just shook his head and with a great deal of strength, moved the struggling teen away from the cliff, placing himself by it instead. He gave Rin the calmest look he could manage in an effort to get his panic to calm without doing anything indecent. Like pin him down and perhaps even kiss him a few times until he stopped struggling… that sounded nice right then. No, no, he couldn't possibly do that with everyone looking at them; that would make Rin hate him so much he'd deny his existence.

"Look… I'll get your ring okay?" As Haruka said that, a silence went over his group of friends behind him who stared at the scene with mixed expressions. The most drastic were Gou and Nagisa's, one who looked enraptured and one who looked shocked and unbelieving.

A supervisor heard this and his eyes widened, knowing that they could possibly get in big trouble if one of those boys got hurt. It was a deeper fall than they realized and there was nothing but rocks at the bottom. One of them could seriously get hurt. Approaching the boys that seemed to be in their own world, arguing in a strange way that made him feel like he shouldn't be watching, he said, "Look both of you couldn't possibly go down to get that ri—"

"Shut up! Stay out of it!" They both hissed, emotional blood red eyes and frosty azure orbs glaring at him so intensely that instinctively he stepped back a few feet and laughed nervously to himself. It looked like they were going to have to solve their own problems since he couldn't possibly stand a chance against both muscular and quite intimidating boys. Nagisa couldn't believe his own ears. Haru-chan had made some leaps and bounds in the terms of being helpful over the past few months but… he just said the ring flew off of the cliff they were on! He couldn't honestly be willing to go and get it for him just because he was worried. The only time Nagisa ever remembered Haru-chan doing something that drastic was when both Rei and Mako-chan were drowning in the ocean. But it was such a small matter… it was just a ring, why did it upset Rin-chan so much? But, no matter the reason, if Haru-chan actually went over that cliff for it… it would mean Haru-chan would literally jump off of a cliff just to make Rin-chan happy…

"Are you fucking kidding me? H…Haruka, I'm not a k-kid! I can get my own d-damn ring!" Rin-senpai stuttered as he finally got some color back in his face while yanking away from the azure eyed teen who looked more determined than Rei had ever seen him before. He looked… worried. Despite the near paralysis his face seemed to endure under this situation, Haruka-senpai's eyes were so concerned and… and worried. It reminded him of the sleepover when Rin-senpai was screaming and crying in agony and no one knew what to do. Haruka-senpai, however, looked like he was in just the same amount of pain as Rin-senpai was in. Like he would just do anything so that he would stop crying… Curently the redhead wasn't even crying but the raven walked resolutely towards the cliff's edge to go get the ring that flew and glimmered at the bottom of a shallow ravine. "Haruka I said—"

"I heard you. But I'm not letting you go down with as much of a crybaby you are. You might trip," he said flatly, making the redhead fume and grab his forearm with an angry look at being made fun of once again. Gou could only watch the scene with heartfelt eyes as she felt her heart go 'doki' 'doki' at the sight of the two lover boys grasping onto each other, the seme stubbornly trying to protect the manly uke. It was like a scene from one of her favorite BL manga and though that was her onii—chan blushing and holding onto Haruka-senpai with those embarrassed eyes, she couldn't help the adorable fantasies that drove through her head. As she heard a few dreamy sighs behind her, she could tell that a few other closeted girls felt the same. Maybe she could secretly start a club and "help" the two get together…

"I'm not a crybaby!" Rin cried stubbornly, "And if you're going to go off a cliff at least let me go with you! It's my ri—" Haruka's eyes narrowed at him. He could just see that idiot's hands shaking too much from nervousness and him breaking something on top of his almost completely healed injuries and taking an even longer leave from swimming. Like hell that was going to happen. He couldn't wait to get back to Iwatobi and race Rin again. He wouldn't let anything ruin it for him dammit. Swallowing the sarcastic and blunt comment he was ready to make, he sighed and looked at Rin with commanding, no-nonsense eyes that made Rin shrink slightly though he tried to stand his ground.

"Rin… Stay up here. Pull me up when I climb up alright?" he said in a softer voice than he'd imagined coming out. He knew the tone he used must've hit Rin somewhere because the death grip he had on his arm loosened while Rin looked away, nodding. Haruka gave him a fond, barely there smirk before scaling the slightly crumbling cliff to where he saw the ring glittering as the sun rays hit it, like it was sending out a flare for rescue. The rocks scraped up and dirtied his delicate hands but he continued without complaint since it really wasn't that bad. When he reached it, he quickly scooped it up by the snapped chain and with it in hand, climbed back to the peak of the cliff. Rin held his hand out and Haruka firmly gripped it with his dusty one before he hauled himself back on level land and held the golden ring back out to Rin like he was presenting evidence. Rin's red, red eyes looked at the ring in his possession for a second before he carefully let it fall in his palm and he stuffed it deep in his pocket with nothing more than a muttered thanks to Haruka before he began walking again.

Haruka raised an eyebrow, inwardly smirking at what he knew was Rin trying to pick up the broken pieces of his pride from the pile of shards it was in. Makoto however, glared at the ungrateful redhead who was walking away from the amazing raven who literally went over a cliff just for him and he was just… Makoto honestly wanted to run up to him and make him say thank you for once. To be grateful for the special thing that he had with Haru but he couldn't do that. Right now he had to focus on keeping Haru from trailing right after the domineering brute. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder, his caring tendencies coming out a bit stronger than he intended at the sight of Haru's scraped up hands. That idiot got his precious Haru hurt… he'd kill him… but as of now he had to get the worried tears from his eyes because he really wasn't used to seeing Haru injured and he should really treat it before it got infected.

But the strangest thing that Makoto saw throughout his worry over Haru's ever so slightly bleeding hands was that Haru's eyes looked happy and almost like he was anticipating something. Makoto kept his arm around Haru as they walked back to the campsite for lunch. He wanted to hurry and grab a seat for Haru and him with Nagisa, Rei, and Gou who surprisingly wanted to sit with them today instead of her friends. He let Haru sit first and said he was going to get their food and a first aid kit to which Haru only gave a silent nod and let him quickly go. Really, he just hoped to not be held up too long.

Haruka sighed and sat at the table, honestly worn out by Makoto's mothering. His hands weren't that bad, really all he had to do was wash them and they'd heal by themselves. The only reason he hadn't done so… well that was because he saw Rin taking peeks at his "injured" hands with disgruntled and cute worried looks all while they were walking back to camp. He was wondering what the neko would do? He was already trying to keep his pride in place for having freaked out about his father's necklace in front of everyone, so he'd understand if Rin just didn't talk to him for a while. He stared at the abnormally quiet table in front of him and for once had been tempted to break the silence with an intrusive "what" because it wasn't every day that Kou and Nagisa were in the same place and actually quiet around each other. He could only wonder what happened between the two.

However, his quiet observation could only be stopped by a hand. A simple, warm hand that buzzed warmly with pleasant electricity. He knew whose hand it was the moment it made contact with his shoulder and he nearly flinched in shock. Turning around in his seat, he nonchalantly looked at a flustered Rin who once again had his necklace securely around his neck. Cocking his head ever so slightly, Haruka watched Rin grab his wrist and tug on it lightly. "Come," he said in a gruff voice that made Haruka lift an eyebrow. He obediently came while the cafeteria went momentarily silent at their departure. Girls started blushing and whispering at how boldly Rin had called Haruka out and Gou was beaming from ear to ear while she leaned back in her seat.

"I told you. There's definitely something there Na-gi-sa!" She sang in a giggly voice but didn't follow. She figured they'd all interfered enough.

* * *

 

Once outside, Rin took Haruka to a secluded place that he must've seen on his hike and brought him to a convenient log which they used as a makeshift bench. Haruka sat down with Rin's warm hand still around his wrist in silence while Rin's eyes turned a bit shifty and he lifted in his other hand a white box with a red cross that he recognized as the first aid kit of the camp. Rin's eyes were firmly locked on his scraped hands and he blushed brightly.

"Um… your hands… do they…" Rin looked adorably concerned as he looked at his cut up and dirty hands, "Haruka, you didn't even wash them? Are you trying to get those cuts infected? Don't be such an id—" Rin actually looked a bit angry with him for neglecting to clean the cuts. They didn't hurt or anything and the dirt hadn't even been on there for that long. Certainly he wasn't going to leave them dirty while he was eating but Rin had come along before he even got the chance to wash them. Though if it would have Rin looking over him like this with that cute face, he'd just conveniently leave that part out.

"They don't hurt if that's what you're asking," Haruka implied impishly with a small smirk allowed on his face at the redhead being so flustered over his hands. "Do you intend to do something about the scrapes?" He leaned easily on the other hand while his blue eyes stared at him with amusement as Rin glared at him and opened the first aid kit. He pulled Haruka's hand to his lap and his eyes widened slightly while he looked away with a light blush. He… was holding his hand so securely in his warm palm, even when he steadily put rubbing alcohol on his palm that burned more than he thought it would, those long fingers curling over his own made that fluttery feeling he hadn't felt since this morning come back full force. He felt kind of pathetic this way since Rin was only holding his hand yet he couldn't even look him in the eye because of the stupidly pleasant feeling. Ugh…

"Tch, shut up Haruka. I'm not worried if that's what you're thinking. I just…" he frowned while scrubbing gently at the shallow cuts from the rocks and branches. Passionate eyes stared back at him and he felt the fluttering in his heart increase in rate because Rin's eyes were just so full of emotion when he looked at him. They were always like that but it was different when he looked at him this time, "I just… thank you… for saving my ring. I still think I could've gotten it myself, don't get me wrong but…" Haruka unconsciously moved his thumb across the other's tanned hand to make the redhead relax and Rin fell silent, going back to cleaning his palm and putting ointment on it.

They were close as he did it. Rin was sitting very close right next to him and Haruka could feel their sides brush with the slightest movements of Rin cleaning. It made him nearly smile to again be close to his neko. They hadn't gotten to spend really any time together since this entire trip started and he was beginning to actually get frustrated. They were constantly being separated and he knew he was just being a bit too hasty with how quickly he was losing patience but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to swim or be with Rin—preferably both—but this trip has been preventing both from happening. He knew he was right for not wanting to go on this trip. And the girls have been populating the young redhead's side since they got on the bus. Why did Rin always have to come with some kind of frustration?

"Why did he even save that girl to begin with?" He muttered under his breath, catching Rin's attention. He pushed his glasses up and cocked his head adorably in confusion before he on his own realized what Haruka just said. A flush bloomed on his face and he looked down at the bandages he was wrapping around Haruka's hands—a bit more than Haruka would put on but it was Rin after all, he was very dramatic.

"I… you know that day when I didn't take any notes in class? I forgot to ask Gou to bring my glasses to your house that day. So I couldn't see the board that day. I couldn't really see anything to be honest. So because of that… when that girl came up to me… I knew she was another girl, not my sister but when her skirt got caught on the desk, my body reacted before my mind since she kind of looked like Gou and…" he sighed and buried his face in his hands. The shorter male looked at him with amused blue eyes that found Rin's protectiveness a bit impressive since it ran so innately in him. He supposed it did make sense to him… his eyes did seem a lot redder that day. So that's how they looked when they weren't blurred by the lenses? Haruka took a deep look into his eyes and almost wanted to ask Rin to just never wear contacts again since his eyes were one of his best features. He was shocked from his reverie to find Rin looking at him intensely with that rosy blush on his face and a mixture of worry and embarrassment in his eyes… or was it? The emotion looked a bit angry as well to him. "Um… Haruka, are you… dating Tachibana?"

When Rin spoke the last name, Haruka's mind went blank momentarily before he recognized it as the family name of his best friend. He was utterly caught off guard at that question. Dating? Why did everyone seem to think that he was dating someone? Especially Makoto of all people. They had been friends for years now. What would give Rin the idea that they were dating? Sure he was quite a bit touchier all of a sudden but he's always been like that and Haruka by now had learned to endure it. However, he'd never felt anything close to romantic intimacy with the taller brunette in their ten years of friendship. "No, we're just friends. What would give you that idea?" Rin blushed a bit brighter and fidgeted in his seat like a guilty child.

"W-Well… well you just… seem really close to him and stuff. I mean, I guess it's no big deal but you guys really do seem like a couple. He touches you all the time and wipes your mouth and shares food with you… you guys almost seem married," Rin had a grumpy look on his face and harrumphed wryly while Haruka felt a strange twinge in his chest that was quite uncomfortable. He was tempted to reach up and rub the spot gingerly but the feeling builds and he couldn't help gulping at how raw his throat felt at the accusations. They weren't married, but Haruka had heard that before. A lot. He and Makoto were mistaken for a couple all the time yet he'd never felt like this before. Like he had to make completely sure that the other knew that he had absolutely no romantic connection with Makoto. "I mean… we're friends and we do… whatever we're doing together so I… do you do this with other's too? Are you just experimenting at this point? I can't just—"

Haruka leaned forward and interrupted the other with a soft kiss planted on those sweet and supple lips. He pecked tenderly on the plump pillows and before long prodded his tongue, begging for access inside the redhead's cavern. Rin gave in and Haruka dipped his tongue deep into the other's mouth, making him tremble and his breath quiver at his assault. He'd nearly forgotten since last night just how good this could be too. How nice the other's rough tongue felt against his own, how deliciously he leaned into him and kissed him a bit aggressively only to submit to his persistent muscle and especially how cute he was when he kissed him for too long without letting him catch his breath sometimes. He gave one last lingering lick to the other before removing himself from the redhead with lowered lids. Rin followed him, out of breath and panting before stopping short and realizing what he'd done. He glared at him and wiped his lips vigorously clean, a clear sign he didn't like being shut up that way and was still pissed at him. Haruka sighed and kept a hold of Rin's other hand,

"Rin… I don't do this with anyone but you and I'm not dating Makoto… you're… special." His blue eyes burned with the intensity of staring straight into disbelieving irises that dodged at the slightest glance. He sighed once more and placed an even lighter kiss on his lips, making his own stomach flip before he separated a hair's breath away from him, "And that's a thank you for worrying about me. You're a good kitty."

Letting him go, he stood and walked back towards the campsite where lunch was probably halfway over. He turned back to the flabbergasted redhead who was still stunned and bright pink on the log and said, "Are you coming with me or not?" Rin exhaled heavily and rushed to him obediently, though not without a scowl in his direction for flustering him like that on purpose. He noticed Rin get closer to him and felt quite satisfied that Rin was actually a bit needy for him at heart. "You know you look kind of cute when you're jealous."

"Shut up! Who's jealous?!" An irate voice cried indignantly before Haruka felt a hit connect with his back that only served to amuse him more. First getting angry at his kiss, then hitting him for teasing him only to hover puppy-like behind him… what a weird cat.


	17. EXTRA: SMEX SCENE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HaruRin Lovin' after some scenes I never got to write XD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I just want you to know I actually lost my laptop charger so that's why there was no story last week. I was freaking out, my parents were freaking out an ugghhh. But, I'm here for some HaruRin loving. So while I don't have the next chapter of the revamped series all the way ready, I had one last sex scene from the last series that I wasn't sure if I was going to use. So, here's some pointless smut in the woods XD.

A passionate kiss, instigated by Haruka, was pressed to the larger teen's lips as lean, slender fingers entangled themselves in longish locks. The familiar feel of the silky smooth strands passing between his fingers was relieving to Haruka after their argument, like a healing balm that ensured the raven that it was okay. They were okay. Heated cheeks pressed against his own and he smirked into the kiss as he felt the other's hands wave about to find their placing while Rin frantically tried to reciprocate the kiss. It was cute, Haruka felt like he was trying hard in his own way even though things had been cleared up. He had to admit it was nice to see he was still cute and eager to please even though it caused a lack of confidence earlier-Haruka almost mourned for the future when Rin got used to these kisses and wasn't blushing like crazy anymore and forgetting to breathe. His hand lifted from his firm hip and slid from his hair to guide Rin's arms around his neck while he broke past the barrier of pursed lips with his tongue. Rin's cheeks seemed to burst into flames at that point while he nearly tripped over himself in an effort to caress his tongue, pulling Haruka closer.

He broke the kiss with a huff of a laugh, "Slow down Rin, I'm not going anywhere." Sliding his hand back down even further to squeeze his ass, as if for confirmation though the redhead's squeak of surprise was another reward. Haruka hadn't been looking directly at Rin when he parted from the kiss so when he finally lifted his eyes to stare at Rin's he was shocked as they were watery with tears. Worry knotted in his stomach because he'd never meant to make him cry; what did he say? Had he scared him with that fight? He knew that the redhead was strong but more than ever through this conversation did he realize how much Rin actually treasured him, maybe just the threat of becoming distant was more than frightening for someone like him. It was scary to think about for him too honestly-how much he was attached to Rin. "Rin, don't cry okay?" he sighed and tenderly kissed the salty corners of his eyes before hugging him, running his fingers down his spine in the way he knew made Rin turn to jelly.

"Shut up, I'm not crying, I just..." he trailed off, squeezing Haruka back silently. Haruka could hear his neko anyway through his silence, and he knew he was saying /I was just scared. Don't leave me, please.../ He huffed, squeezing him even tighter. He wondered if he could make it up to him for just onesidedly becoming so worried and jealous. He even made Rin spill his embarrassing desire over him even though he wasn't ready all for his selfish reassurance.

/I want you to touch me all the time! I don't like it when you touch me because I feel like I'm going crazy... it feels really g-good even when you touch me in embarrassing spots. It's b/because/b it's you that I'm reacting this way Haruka!/ He'd never heard Rin's side of the story before, seen him truly thinking about him in a sexual way. It was more than pleasureable for him to finally see him squirm over it, rethinking past events and revealing his thoughts, blushing... "I want you to be sure that I really am attracted to you. I... I feel like an asshole since you were worried all this time. Do you think I could do something? I-I mean I'm not doing it just for that, I want you even now! W-Wait, I mean, well, I was getting excited from that kiss so I do want it, but if you don't w-want to..."

Haruka's eyes widened at Rin's jumbled mess of an invitation and his heart thudded as he looked away from his flustered face. Though he was doing it in the most embarrassing way ever, at least he was being clear about it. Rin wanted to be touched, and he wanted to be touched by him. The redhead continued to blather on nervously, arms still around his neck and averting his eyes in the most adorable display of effort ever, Haruka really couldn't help himself. His neko was having a rare moment of pure submission, excited for his touch, red in the face, stuttering a plea... he was just asking for it. Haruka just wanted to devour him at this point.

A lone thumb reached and halted the movement of his mouth, leaving it the slightest bit open so he could delve inside with his tongue-luckily he just missed the sharp points of his teeth. Rin gasped and grunted a noise of pleasure as Haruka attacked him, licking deeper into his mouth while he pulled their hips together. Slowly pushing forward, Rin melted into his arms, distracted by his cool tongue wrapping around his until his back made contact with the trunk of a tree. A moan escaped Rin and Haruka felt the neko's cock twitch against his thigh-he really was hard for him. Good, that just further inclined him to follow his instincts to please his neko even more. Deciding to warm him up a bit, Haruka rolled his hips against Rin's, grinding their erections into each other until he felt lightheaded from the slow yet heated thrusts.

In the wilderness, he somehow felt it to be more intimate and less controlled; his cool exterior was melting before his desire for Rin. His wayward hand squeezed the fleshy mounds of Rin's ass even tighter through those track pants when he whimpered onto his lips-it really was as soft as he'd been imagining all this time. As he mindlessly wrapped a leg around the raven's, suddenly Rin broke the spellbinding kiss, looking at him urgently even as Haruka continued to trail kisses down his neck with light nips that'll still surely redden the other's sweet skin, "H-Haruka, w-we're still outside... aren't we, ngh, g-going back t-to the cabin?"

"What if Makoto comes back?" Haruka asked disinterestedly, kissing further down as he unzips Rin's jacket, the satisfying sound of it echoing through the late afternoon. He was much too engrossed in his new goal to hear just how many whimpers Rin could make. It seemed to make Rin even more nervous, had that even been possible but he couldn't blame him. After all Haruka was getting lower with the lazy licks of his tongue, unhurried yet with every taste came an insatiable hunger for more. Rin tasted like one of those desserts you rarely get to eat and when you did finally take that anticipated bite, it became more amazing than the last time you ate it. If he was truthful that was one of the reasons but Haruka doubted he would stop just because Makoto came in, but he was more antsy about losing this opportunity on the walk back to the cabin. His sneaky hands lifted his top so more skin would be available to him and Rin's hand shifted to his shoulders. Looking up to see the fruits of his labor, he was quite pleased to see the panting teen with a path of glistening red spots all over his neck and chest. Those delicious, pink buds on his chest hardened in response to the cooling breeze and crimson eyes squeezed shut in embarrassment. Haruka's own eyes dimmed in pleasure at the sight and his breathing got the slightest bit heavier, "I like you better out here anyway."

"Nn! Hngh... but w-w-we're outside, H...Haruka..." His whine as Haruka slowly tongued his pink nipple amused him as well as turned him on. He was always unsure about doing something like this seeing as he would hate for someone to hear Rin's beautiful noises but he wasn't sure if he could stop when he pinched the other bud only for Rin to jolt and unconsiously spread his legs for him. Somehow he thought Rin might be a bit more sensitive than usual with them being outside, and Rin was already so amazingly sensitive. Even if it were the lightest nick of his nail on his stiffened nipple Haruka felt him shiver in lust. "Embarrassing... wh-what if someone sees..."

Haruka fell even lower to his knees, thankful for the soft grass to cushion the blow as he became face to face with Rin's tented sweats. A curious eye analyzed it, seeing the wet front against the straining tip, the way Rin rubbed his thighs together just for some relief, the way Rin seemed horrified with him looking so intently at it. He didn't doubt that his own cock probably looked something along the lines of that, but it was cute to see just how much he wanted him. He granted the blushing teen a kiss on his quivering hips, stilling them for what was to come.

Haruka lifted a hand and lightly touched the aching member before him, watching Rin's hand fly to his mouth to stop his loud moan from escaping while the raven rubbed abusively at the weeping tip. "We're away from the trail and everyone is busy building the campfire, it'll be fine... but I suggest you lower your voice if you can," he said as he cupped his balls and squeezed, watching as his pants grew even more damp. Haruka couldn't doubt that was hot to watch and he playfully stroked his cock just to rile the younger boy up even more. His muffled moans grew louder behind his palms as his quaking thighs closed on his hand in panic, though his hips twitched forward desperately in an unconscious effort for more, "Rin, open your legs... please." He was sure that the look he gave Rin as he asked didn't really say the word "please" but rather the word "now" as Rin reluctantly opened them once more only to have his sweatpants tugged down to his feet, revealing soaked boxer-briefs. The slick peak of his erection was so heated, Haruka could feel waves of warmth crash on his face, "Rin, here is really wet..." He pointed it out just for Rin's embarrassment as he massaged his thumb over the slightly visible slit.

He'd touched Rin's cock before, knowing just how hot it was, how wet it got... but it was different now. Now he was actively paying attention to the proof of Rin's lust and he was almost amazed by how much his arousal leaked before he even got to do anything to him. It made shivers run up and down his spine, his mouth running dry as his own erection throbbed in strong reaction to Rin. His calm thought process was going down the drain as he pulled his thumb away only for a thin trail of Rin's precum to follow; there wasn't an innocent part of Rin's body to be found, he thought while sliding his hands up his slick, shaking thighs. He found it all to be goregous.

"Ah! H-Haruka what the hell are you doing?!" he hissed, moving to close his legs but Haruka forced them to stay open with his hands. He stared up at the startled teen who was red once more.

"I'm actually trying to suck your dick but you're making it a bit difficult don't you think?" There was a pregnant pause before the raven saw Rin light up even brighter than his hair, speechless at his blunt admission. He actually found his reaction quite heartwarming, but he also knew Rin and even though it might look like he's definitely getting what he wants with the other male's pants around his ankles and his shirt erotically held above his nipples, the redhead would definitely need some persuation for him to get what he wanted. He could just see the other's refusal gathering on his lips, outraged at the mere thought of having Haruka service him like that. But the minute he saw the first turn of his head, Haruka attacked as well. Making eye-contact, Haruka slowly lapped his tongue up the other's inner thigh; he felt it quiver in shock but Rin's pleased gasp was more than enough to urge him on. Going higher, his nose teased Rin's heavy balls and he harshly sucked a possessive mark right were he knew the translucent part of his swimsuit would be. Unable to say more, Rin's legs collapsed into Haruka's ready hands, panting and shaking in need, "If you're already so needy over just this, won't it make you feel good?"

"H-Haruka, you're p-p-playing dirty. Y-You shouldn't put... your mouth th-there... mnh!" he bit his lip while Haruka teased him a bit more, breathing lightly over the sobbing head and planting gentle kisses on the shaft, "S...Sto-"

"Do you really want me to? Or are you just saying so because it's me?" Rin's watery eyes widened and he looked to Haruka below. He tried his best to convey just how much he really wanted to try this. Something that had been dawdling on his mind ever since he'd touched the other for the first time. He wanted to bring Rin even higher, to appease his dark addiction of seeing his body contort and his glowing face loosen in ecstasy. Could he make Rin beg like the other night? Would he cry? Unconsciously Haruka licked his lips and thought to himself that perhaps he may be a pervert after all, a pathetic one who couldn't hold back any longer.

Rin's body tensed at the implications he made and stared at him, his determined and flushed face, until he huffed indignantly and pulled him up into a kiss, "Well... can I at least try too? I won't be able to do much with you all the way down there, it's only fair." Shocked, Haruka could only imagine the sight of Rin on his knees before him, lips pink and swollen around his hardness and his tearful eyes questioning if Haruka felt good or not... warmth spread on his cheeks and his cock visibly stirred at the mention. Sometimes Haruka was baffled at Rin's talent of embarrassing him, even when Haruka was obviously in control.

"S...Sure..." he dropped back to a kneeling position, staring directly at Rin's excitement. He began to grow a bit nervous now that he'd actually gotten consent to do this, but he didn't want to back out of it now. Taking a deep breath, Haruka stopped his hands from shaking and began to pull down Rin's soiled boxers until they gathered around his ankles. The only thing covering Rin now was his jacket, knowing this probably is what made Rin's hips edge toward him, his back arched. Though what he really couldn't stop looking at was his cock. The raven felt a dusting of pink cover his cheeks while he witnessed the other's length. Long, wet, and pink Haruka stared at the circumsized head that he'd never stopped to notice, the gentle slope it had while bending toward Rin's stomach, even the smooth, flushed skin that never seemed to stop made Haruka's mouth /throb/.

"M-Mou, Haruka st-stop staring! Is... is there something wrong?" he asked hesitantly only for Haruka to shake his head, "Then stop fucking looking at i-ah! Mnh... hah!" Haruka licked a firm stripe up the sensitive underside of his cock, just to shut the neko up. He sure seemed to have a lot of commands for someone on the bottom. The other sounds coming from his mouth sounded much better. Wasting no time, Haruka took a deep breath and swallowed him whole; Rin bit his lip to control the moan that would've burst from his lips but he seemed to find it hard as Haruka began slowly bobbing his head. Though, Haruka was just as busy below, clenching one hand on his hips and the other on his thigh when he reached the tip only to roughly grind his tongue against it. His muffled moans got louder while his body trembled.

Doing this didn't feel so bad to Haruka, there was a faint idea in his mind that made him concerned he might choke on Rin's impressive eight inches but it didn't choke nor hurt him in the slightest, it was a bit like swimming with the intervals of breath taken in. If he was being honest with himself there was a part of him that thought this actually felt good. The first drag of skin on his tongue could be described as a shock but as he leaned his head back to prepare to suck him deeper, Haruka found himself coming back early. There was a sensation that he couldn't place that seemed to make frightening shocks go through his body and passionately persuay him to go farther, deeper. It felt good and oddly familiar.

Swallowing around it, the salty taste of Rin's flesh imprinted itself into Haruka's mind and the mix of precum and saliva eased the slide. Shit, Rin was twitching now and... and so was he. His body felt uncomfortably warm as he went faster and his pants seemed to shrink the longer he did this to Rin. What was this... why did it feel so good? Was it the weight on his tongue, was it the taste, the pure musk of Rin surrounding him, those damned noises Rin was trying and unsuccessfully muffling? His eyes drifted open and he was surprised he'd let them close in the first place when Rin doubled over him, a burning hand on his shoulder and those erotic cries getting louder while Rin squirmed. He took his forearm and pinned Rin's hips to the tree, sucking more agressively and moving his other hand to rub the irrisitable patch of skin just below Rin's sack that he knew made him go crazy. He wanted to see the reaction but something was telling him not to. Don't look at Rin while you do this. Being a person who follows his instincts, Haruka didn't look.

On cue it was decided that Rin couldn't hold back his noises anymore and his sobs of pleasure went straight to Haruka's erection. After another long suck Haruka removed the other's cock from his mouth, "Hm, it feels good doesn't it?" It was less of a question and more of a tease to Rin who glared at him and tried to say something before melting into his touch as he played with the other's balls. He had an idea Rin was sensitive there from the few times he'd teased them before but it was certainly amusing to see again when he jerked him off too. It almost felt dangerous as he felt the foreign twitching in his hand, like Rin was only seconds from releasing-he couldn't let that happen though as he would be damned before he came back with cum in his hair.

"F-Fuck... ah, ahn... m-m..." Rin mumbled something that Haruka couldn't catch so he cocked his head to try and hear it again. It surprised him when he suddenly felt Rin's hand gently thread into his hair and through his pants, Haruka could make out a soft plea from the redhead, "More please... Haruka..." After hearing that, blue eyes widened and were no longer the pure blue they once were but melted to a near midnight color. The iris could barely even be made out from how dilated the pupils were. Soft pants escaped from the raven as he suddenly figured out why just blowing Rin might make him cum. It was probably just because the one he was doing it to... was Rin. The beautiful redhead being pleasured was one of the greatest turn ons he's ever seen and for him to be the one making Rin lose it like this was the hottest thing about it.

"Rin... put your shirt in your mouth. I don't want anyone to hear your moans except me," Rin shivered at the seriousness in his aroused voice. It didn't sound like him at all, that dark, gravelly voice escaping him but with Rin seconds away from cumming, he didn't have too much time to dwell on such matters. Rin had his shirt in his mouth, his watery eyes telling him he couldn't take much more before his hands tangled back into his hair to urge him to continue. It seemed like Rin was too far gone to think about the hygenic side of this. Engulfing him once more, Haruka felt himself come close to the edge as well and took his aching member out, jerking himself off at the same pace he sucked Rin. The grip on his hair grew tighter and shocks of pleasure continuously ran through the raven so much so that it was a surprise when he felt the first spurt of hot liquid fly down his throat. Rin tried to pull him off but as his orgasm went through him, he could do little more than weakly tug at the obstinate Haruka.

His hand went faster over himself, teasing his head and squeezing the way Rin does to him and he was close, oh he was so close. But as he swallowed around Rin, taking what he had to give him, he made the one mistake of looking up. Sometimes when he looked back in retrospect, perhaps he would've been able to stop the following events from happening if he just hadn't have looked up. He didn't look at Rin for the entire time he was sucking him off... but when his eyes glanced up they widened in wonder. Rin had dropped his shirt from between his lips but nothing came except a silent scream from the unsurrmountable pleasure Haruka gave him.

Bathed in the golden orange light of the burning sunset, Rin's sweaty skin seemed to glow brighter than he'd ever seen it. His muscles were tensed in agonizing pleasure and his head was thrown back to expose his straining neck. His marks littered his sweet skin all the way down to his shifting abs and to Haruka, he'd never seen Rin so stunning before. This was the Rin that craved his touch, that needed him more than any girl or any boy. His closest friend in a way that was different to Makoto, naked and more vulnerable than he'd ever been before, was amazing. As the other came down from his high, he looked down to Haruka with his tearful face that showed he'd cried and his satisfied expression while he panted his name was more than enough to make Haruka come without even trying.

...

"Haruka you liar, you said I could try too," Rin said irritably, though his hold on his hand didn't ease as Haruka and he went back to join the other campers. Rin was still flushed down to his chest, probably from the knowledge that he once again ruined a pair of boxers because of Haruka and tugged self-consciously on his zipped up hoodie. Haruka was in no better a condition but at least he hid it better than his neko. He'd once again been swindled into forgiving that redhead but at least he'd gotten something in return... well he thought he did. In reality, Haruka felt slightly as if a piece of him that had been there before had disappeared out of nowhere. Not only that but there was the embarrassing knowledge that Haruka hadn't even needed Rin to touch him just to cum, knowledge that was unintentionally being exploited by that idiot next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was probably typos all over the place but that was the basics. Hope you kinda forgive me?.Btw: WILL ANYONE SCREAM WITH ME OVER THE FREE! MOVIE, THE HARURIN NOOKS, AND THE HIGH SPEED MANGA?!?!? A SHJHSSHBV!!!


End file.
